Akahana Mai: A different journey
by One Autumn Leaf
Summary: SPR disbanded, and Taniyama Mai was left all alone. The members lost all contact with each other. However, Mai's powers continued to grow and she soon found herself incapable of controlling them. Then a letter arrived, opening the doors to a new life. Taniyama Mai became Akahana Mai, who was happy once again. 4 years later, Naru returned, wanting to reform SPR. Full summary inside.
1. They left

**Summary:**

When Naru and Lin returned to England, SPR disbanded, and Taniyama Mai was left all alone. The members lost all contact with each other, and went on to live their own lives. However, even without any interaction with the paranormal Mai's powers continued to grow, and she soon found herself incapable of controlling them. Instead, they began to control her, and Mai realized that if she didn't do something _fast,_ her powers would kill her _._ Then a letter arrived, opening the doors to a brand new life. Taniyama Mai became Akahana Mai, who discovered happiness once again. Four years later, when she had finally managed to find her place in life, Naru returned, wanting to reform SPR.

 **Warning:**

Slow build, obviously AU, and a bit OOC. The first chapter is a tad darker and somber than the rest of the story, and there will obviously be OCs.

* * *

 **Chapter 1: They left**

Disclaimer: Don't own nothing.

They left.

Bou-san, Ayako, Yasu, John, Masako, Lin, and… Naru. All of them had left. Had left her, the ghost magnet, all alone. Had left her, the orphan, who had no one left in this world. Had left her, who they thought of as a little sister, who they swore to protect, by whom they were integrated into a small, little family, and who they considered family in return. Her family had left her. They left.

Mai wanted to shout at the injustice of it all. She wanted to cry at the emptiness they left. Wanted to crumble due to the pain the hole, which had just started to heal after the death of her parents, inflicted, tore wide open by their departure. She wanted to curse them for ripping apart the trust she put in them, hurt them for taking what she had given them and throwing it away carelessly, hate them for leaving her behind like the filthy orphan she was, harm them for making her feel this way. She wanted to despise them for having ever shown her love, ever allowed her to experience it after the death of her parents, ever given her a taste of what she _could have had_ if it had been even a little different.

But most of all, she wanted to stop feeling. To stop hurting. To stop loving them.

Yes, she loved them. All of them.

Ayako and Bou-san, whom she considered her parents. She looked at them for guidance, for protection, for love. Bou-san was there every time she was endangered by a spirit and chased it away. Ayako tended to her injuries and comforted her after nightmares or those damned dreams. Both of them would never fail to make her smile, made sure to always include her, looked out for her, answered her questions, and were _there_ for her when she needed them. Well, not anymore. They used to, though.

Yasuhara and John whom she considered her siblings. Yasuhara, the teasing, smart older brother who was looking out for her at the same time. John, the kind and wise older brother, who – despite hating violence – would never allow harm to fall upon her. Both of them would protect her with their life, advise her, look out her, and always manage to take her mind off the horrible things she experienced every day by being a ghost hunter with post-cognitive abilities. Who would _be there_ when she needed them. Well, not anymore. They used to, though.

Masako, whom she considered her cousin. Who was jealous and snobbish, yes, but also reliable and compassionate when she needed her – after her dreams. The only one who _truly_ understand what she experienced. How much it really hurt to experience the memories of someone else, to feel their emotions. The only one who could understand just how painful it was. Unfortunately, they allowed a boy and their rivalry over him get in-between them. Masako, who - while upholding her snobbish persona and giving crude remarks - was always _there_ when she needed her. Well, not anymore. She used to, though.

Lin, whom she considered the awkward uncle. He was always silent and his face always remained a stony mask, but over time Mai learned to look beyond that. She used to think he was cold, emotionless, and hated her. How wrong she was. Lin was anything _but_ that. He was kind, and cared too much, but didn't know how to show it – refused to show it. Which led to him being misunderstood by almost everyone. Lin, who was steady, reliable, strong, and _always there_ when you needed him or his advice – night or day. Well, not anymore. He used to, though.

And then, there was Naru. Naru, whom she loved with all her heart. Naru, who wore a stony mask to hide the fact that he cared too much for his own good. Who wept for the loss of his older brother without showing anybody. Who used hurtful comments and icy glares to keep everyone away for him, because he didn't want to lose anybody else. Who used those same glares and words on his clients, to get the necessary information in order to ensure that he wouldn't endanger his team. Naru, who hid _so long_ behind his mask out of fear of losing control and harming someone with his PK, that he forgot how to take it off. Naru, who was strong, reliable, smart, witty, narcissistic, prideful, compassionate, caring, protective, decisive, and – above anything else – _always there_ when she needed him. Whether she was in danger due to a ghost, got unwanted attention from guys, was lost in the aftermath of her dreams, hurt due to her clumsiness, or had aching heart due to missing her parents. It didn't matter _what_ was happening. He was there. Saving her by putting himself in danger, distracting her by witty comments and playful smirks or a cup of tea and compassionate eyes, kept her on track if she got lost in her thoughts, and was a steady presence she could rely on – _always_. It didn't matter _when_ it didn't matter _what_ was happening or _what_ he had been doing or _whose_ fault it was or _who_ was hurting her or _where_ it happened. Whenever, whatever, whoever, wherever. _Naru was_ _ **there**_. Well, not anymore. He used to, though.

But not anymore. _None_ of them were there anymore. And the problem was, Mai couldn't hate them for it. She couldn't blame them.

After all, it wasn't their fault.

Naru was only in Japan to find his dead twin brother, Gene. After finding his body, it is only logical that Naru would return to England – where his _family_ lived – to bury Gene. Mai couldn't fault him for staying with his family, after all that was wanted to do too.

Lin, who only came along as Naru's guardian, naturally returned too. Like Naru's, his family lived in England. _Not_ in Japan. It was only natural he wanted to be with them.

They broke her heart when they left – but she couldn't fault them.

Besides, back then she still thought she would have the rest of her family and stay in contact with them. And for a while, they did. Weekly meetings in cafés, sleep-overs by Bou-san, shopping with Ayako, studying with Yasu, visiting Masako's film set, spending time with John in the church.

* * *

But soon, two months after Naru's departure, John left. He was recalled to Australia by the church. Now that the office had closed down, the church saw no merit in leaving John overseas to his own devices, and wanted their best exorcist to return.

Only a week after that, Masako had to film overseas. Yasu, having started university while SPR was still functional, left for a semester overseas which was part of his scholarship. He couldn't _not_ attend, or he would lose it – beside, it was a great chance, no point in wasting that possibility. Mai would never demand that her family put herself in front of them if it would prevent them from such a great merit – that would be callous.

Two months after Naru's departure, Ayako had to leave for a physician's seminar overseas in America. Her parents wanted her to stop playing around, or she would lose her job at the practice and her parents would stop giving her money. She had no choice but to leave. Mai couldn't fault that.

One months later, the last member of her small family left too. His band had a world tour coming up, and he had no choice but to go. It was his job, and he had to make money to eat something. Mai couldn't fault that, as an orphan, she understood better than everybody else.

She couldn't fault them. None of them. It still didn't change the fact that they left her alone, left her by herself. It didn't change the fact that all of them were overseas, while she alone was left behind in Japan.

It didn't change the fact that she was lonely.

It didn't change the fact that she was on her own.

It didn't change the fact that she lost her motivation.

It didn't change the fact that it hurt, that it was painful.

It didn't change the fact that it felt like they betrayed her.

It didn't change the fact that she became very, very depressed.

It didn't change the fact that she experienced what heartbreak felt like.

It didn't change the emotions she felt due to them: anger, fear, sadness, despair, hate.

And it sure as hell didn't change then fact that despite everything, despite what she wanted to do, she _couldn't stop loving them_.

And it _sure as hell_ didn't stop her from changing.

Mai made a decision.

She couldn't continue being depressed. She couldn't continue on like this, period. Her powers were out of control, and if she didn't learn a way to control them _fast_ , she would be ripped apart by her own powers. _What a sad way to die..._

She _needed_ to change, in order to survive. And if the others ever returned, ever looked for her, ever noticed _that she was missing_ and found her, and discovered that she had changed – it was for the better.

Mai looked down at the letter in her hand. This was _her_ letter. The key to _her_ future. The key to who Taniyama Mai was supposed to be. Not weak. Not depending on others. Not cute. Not the one who was always left behind. Not the one who couldn't control her powers. Not someone who needed to be told what she was supposed to do.

No, this isn't who Taniyama Mai was supposed to be. Therefore, she wouldn't be her anymore. No, that Mai was dead.

Mai made a decision.

The old Taniyama Mai, who everybody loved, yet left behind, who was strong in spirit, yet was hurt anyway, who put others before herself, yet had no one willing to do the same for her, was dead.

Mai made a decision.

She would follow the summon in the letter, and create her future with her own hands. If it didn't work out, she would simply leave. After all, nothing forced her to stay there after completing her training. If she didn't like it there, she would leave and never look back.

Mai made a decision.

As a result, a new Mai was created.

A strong Mai. A powerful Mai. A Mai, who was always in control. Who wouldn't let anyone control her around – not other people, not ghosts, and _sure as hell_ not her own powers. She wouldn't be dependent on others. Instead, it was her that others would depend on.

Taniyama Mai made a decision. As a result, Taniyama Mai died, and Akahana Mai was born.

* * *

 **AN:**

Alright, so this is my first fanfiction. Please let me now what you think. Also, English isn't my native language, so please let me now if there are any grammatical errors or awkward wording, as I won't notice it myself.

Until next time,  
One Autumn Leaf

Edited: 19.09.2018


	2. A new life, part 1: Arriving

**Chapter 2: A new life, part 1**

Arriving

Mai looked around the room she was currently situated in, trying to take it all in. The furniture in the room was obviously very expensive, the owner clearly not having to worry about money. It was a big difference to her apartment, which she left just ten hours ago. *1

A long wooden table was placed in the middle of the room, with three cushions on each side. The cushions were a dark blue, with the backrest colored in the shade of the table. Tatami mats were placed on the floor, and the sliding door was open so that the pond outside was visible. The wallpaper was modeled to resemble the sliding door in style. What stood out to Mai was the fact that the furniture, sliding door and wallpaper were all kept in the same shade of dark brown and in the same style. Even the lamps were modeled like that! Several art objects were scattered across the room. A vase, pictures, a room divider. Yet, it was not clustered.

Mai gingerly sat down on one of the cushions situated on the floor. For a moment she worried about somehow dirtying it simply by sitting on it (she was after all very clumsy), but quickly shook off the worries in favor of, once again, looking around the room.

 _It is probably as big as my apartment_ , mused Mai, _and yet, it is only used as a sitting room. Seriously, is everyone in the ghost hunting business this loaded? Ayako, Masako, Bou-san, Lin, Na– Nope, not going there. Snap out of it, Akahana Mai. You_ do not _think about them. You are strong without them. You do not need them. And you sure as hell do not_ miss _them. This is a new life. A new life in which SPR has no more control over you. They might have hurt you, they may have broken you, but that was before. That was Taniyama Mai._ You _are_ **Akahana** _Mai._

 _Isn't this what you promised yourself when you accepted the offer? Wasn't that the whole point of coming here?_

 _Yes_ , Mai thought. _I will be strong, and I will leave my own life behind me, so that they can never hurt me again. So that nobody can hurt me ever again. I will be in control. I, not them. Never them._

After regaining her confidence and strengthening her resolve, Mai thought back to the events that lead to her being here in the first place.

* * *

 _Mai looked at the letter in her hand._

 _The author, Koizumi Genryuusai, said that he was working for Akahana Ken'ichi, the current patriarch of the Akahana family. Apparently, due to certain happenstances thirteen years ago, almost every member of the Akahana family was eradicated. The only surviving members of the once proud clan are the patriarch, one of the clan elders, and two children aged thirteen and fourteen, who survived by still being in the womb of their mothers. Their mothers apparently weren't targeted because they weren't part of the Akahana clan._

 _For a long time, it was believed that they were the only remaining members of the Akahana clan. However, due to the explosion of Mai's powers 36 hours ago, they were able to recognize her as a member of the Akahana clan and locate her. Therefore, they extended an offer for training at the Akahana compound. If she accepted the offer and follows the summon, she would receive the full backing of the Akahana clan in every aspect._

 _They would train her in every aspect of the paranormal, show her the way to control her powers, and back her career choice. Whether she would remain in the compound, choose a normal life, or return to being a ghost hunter on a team – they would support her. The only condition was that she picked up the surname 'Akahana' and dropped 'Taniyama'._

 _Mai grinned. This was her key to the future she wanted. If she didn't like them, she would simply leave. The changing of her surname was a no brainer – it was something she appreciated, actually. Changing her surname would be the very first step towards becoming a new person – towards a new future._

 _Taniyama Mai made a decision. As a result, Taniyama Mai died, and Akahana Mai was born._

 _Upon reaching that decision, Akahana Mai picked up her phone and dialed the number located at the bottom of the letter. After it was picked up, she only said two words._

" _I accept."_

 _The person on the other end of the line simply answered "The chauffeur will arrive at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning. Everything will be provided for you, you will only need to pack objects with sentimental value. The drive will take six hours, you should eat accordingly. Sleep well, Mai-san."_

 _And with that, the call disconnected._

* * *

Mai was pulled out of her musings when a man in his forties entered the room. He wore a black suit with a Bordeaux red tie and cloth. His hair was beginning to gray, yet by looking at his body you could easily tell that he was quite fit. He wore a strange brooch on his suit, stylized in form of a rose. Mai's eyes were drawn to it, and she examined it in great detail.*2

"Good afternoon, Akahana-san." The man's voice pulled Mai out of her musings. "My name is Koizumi Genryuusai. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"It is a pleasure to meet you too, Koizumi-san. But please, call me Mai." She smiled at the man.

"Very well. In that case, I must insist that you call me by my first name as well – and please drop the suffixes. It is quite a mouthful to say." Genryuusai's eyes shone in amusement, but his voice remained completely professional and business-like.

"Genryuusai-san. Hmm, it is indeed quite a mouthful… Then I shall call you Gen-san. And I would like it if you dropped suffixes as well." Mai was careful to keep her voice just as controlled as Genryuusai, but a hint of playfulness still passed through, and her eyes twinkled with mischief.

"Gen-san?!" Genryuusai looked shocked and began to tremble. Just as Mai was beginning to worry that she insulted him, however, Genryuusai broke out into laughter.

"Gen-san," he wheezed between his short breaths of laughter, "I like that. Nobody has ever had the guts to give me a nickname."

"In that case, maybe I should have called you Ryuu-chan." Mai's voice was completely serious, as if this was the most important question at the moment.

"Maybe you should have," Gen-san winked at her, "but how about we focus on the reason you are here?" As if Gen-san had never been laughing, he was now completely serious as he joined Mai on the cushions. He sat down on the opposite side of where Mai was sitting.

Mai nodded. "Yes, I think that would be a good idea. What do you need to know?"

"How about you tell me about your powers, how they grew and how they are currently growing, the amount of control you have over them, what they entail, when they are triggered and by what, and everything else you can think of."

Mai gulped. Her powers weren't something she wanted to speak about right now, especially since they are deeply rooted to… _them_. Talking about her powers entailed talking about _them_ , which was something she wanted to avoid at all costs. Plus, she was ashamed of her lack of control over them. After she had decided to be in control at all times, that lack of control seemed to be an even bigger flaw to her. Especially in front of this man.

She could tell that this man was the epitome of control, the very thing she aspired to be. He came in, completely composed, completely in control, completely calm. And that had never wavered during the small interaction she had with him. To some, the way he laughed at the nickname earlier might seem like a lack of control. But Mai knew that wasn't the case.

To be completely in control meant to be able to control one's emotions as well. While Naru completely distanced himself from feeling any emotions and refused to acknowledge them in an attempt to control them, all he actually did was suppress them. He bottled them up, refused to even consider them, and wondered why they blew up and ruined his control over PK.

No, Mai knew that Naru wasn't in control of his emotions. He was simply running away from them. And not just his own emotions, either. Naru ran away from any and all emotions and didn't want to have any interaction with them.

Genryuusai, however, was in complete control over his emotions. He found the nickname funny and laughed about it – a true laugh. Yet, when the situation called for it, he turned serious immediately – not even a trace of his previous emotions visible. He didn't lock away his emotions. He didn't become an emotionless rock. He didn't refuse himself happiness and a fulfilled life complete with joy, mischief, and humor.

He didn't _have_ to lock them away, to refuse them – because Genryuusai was in complete control.

And Mai aspired to be like him, to have that same amount of control.

She didn't want to stop feeling – her emotions were one of her strong suits, were a part of her, were what made her a happy person, were what made her enjoy life. She swore to herself that he wouldn't let anything or _anyone_ control her - not other people, not ghosts, and not her own powers.

Locking away her emotions would mean allowing other people to influence and control her.

The control she aimed for meant that she was able to control her emotions, yes, but she meant it in a way that they wouldn't inconvenience her.

Someone abandons her? Fine. It hurts like hell, she will never forget it, and may never forgive it, but she won't let that pain influence her life, her decisions, and her relationships with other people.

The control Mai aimed for didn't mean to lock herself away in order to never get hurt anymore – it meant standing in life on both feet, being strong, unbreakable, surrounded by friends, enjoying life, and – most importantly – being able to _take anything they may throw at her_ and _smile nonetheless, enjoy herself nonetheless, live nonetheless_.

The control Akahana Mai aimed for meant that she would be able to stand tall and face _everything_.  
 **She would** _ **never**_ **run away**.

"Mai? I am sorry, but you need to tell me about them."

Genryuusai's voice pulled Mai out of her musings. She still was a bit hesitant to talk about _them_ , but she understood the necessity. Mai released a breath.

 _Come on, Mai, you just thought about it. You want to be able to face anything. You swore you will never run away. How can you ever hope to face them, to stand tall, to truly achieve what you aim for if you can't even_ talk _about them? Strictly speaking, you don't even truly need to talk about them – only the relevant parts, when they played an active role._ _ **You can do this.**_

"My powers began to manifest during my second case with SPR, in the form of ESP. It began with catching a glimpse of a ghost in a window. It was a case about a woman whose daughter was abducted and killed. Unable to take the pain, she committed suicide and began to kill the children in the same age range as her daughter who lived in the house. She trapped the ghosts of those children with her, hoping to someday find her daughter.

"During the case, I was pulled down a well by the mother. While being unconscious, I had a dream – about exactly that. I saw the kidnapping and her suicide. At that point, nobody in my team – I mean in SPR was taking me seriously. Over the course of the next few cases, the number of dreams increased.

"When I fell asleep, I would usually see a dream, often a memory from the ghosts, although – more often than not – those were only snippets that pointed us in the right direction or gave us a new angle to investigate.

"Then we had a case about a curse at a high school. Previously, the so called 'Kasai Panic' occurred. The girl, Chiaki Kasai, was capable of using PK to bend spoons. It, unfortunately, blew out of control – the school was split between believers and disbelievers. Eventually, the girl had to perform a public showing of her abilities, which ended with her shouting 'I curse you all to death!' After strange happenstances and accidents started occurring, it was widely believed that Kasai was the cause of it. Even the majority of my team believed it!

"However, a voice in my heart, which I can only label as 'instinct', told me that she was innocent, which I loudly proclaimed. In the end, it turned out that I was right – her teacher was the culprit. She cursed disbelievers with her own spiritual energy and cursed even me, Ma-Masako and… and Naru."

While retelling this event, Mai actually had to pause before saying Naru's name – and she stuttered on Masako's! Taking a deep breath, Mai continued.

"Anyway, after the case Naru had me participate in a test to determine if I am a latent psychic. The test was positive. In the following cases, SPR began to depend more and more on my abilities, and they were considered a legitimate source of information for our team. With the increase in amount, detail, length and occurrence, the intensity increased as well. It all culminated in the 'Urado' case, as I call it.

"You may have heard about it – we had to burn down the house, the mansion of the previous prime minister, in order to purify the ghost."

Seeing Genryuusai nod, Mai continued on.

"During that case, I had a first person dream, and I couldn't get out. It ended with me experiencing my… death. The ghost whose memories I was seeing was killed by having her neck cut. It was a gruesome experience."

During the recounting, Mai's eyes had strayed to the table and her cup of tea.

 _Strange… since when was there tea here? A maid or someone must have brought it during my story. Huh, I was so focused that I didn't even notice._

Mai took a sip from the tea – Chamomile, her mind supplied – to stop the emotions that were churning through her. Even after all that time – one year, it was almost one year now, her brain piped in – she still couldn't fully shake her memories of that time.

When she looked up at Genryuusai again, she was almost shocked by the amount of compassion and empathy she saw in his eyes. It was more compassion than she ever saw in the eyes of even the most emotional members of her makeshift family – though not anymore, the annoying voice said – and more empathy than the eyes of Naru of Masako, who both had experienced something akin to, but not quite like, her visions. Something told her that Genryuusai knew. Not in the way those who knew someone that experienced it too, but in the way someone who experienced it themselves did.

Mai was sure of it. Koizumi Genryuusai had experienced the same thing she did.

That knowledge gave her the power to continue.

"After that case, my visions returned to how they used to be – third person dreams – while occurring every time I caught a wink of sleep during the cases. All that time I had a spirit guide by my side. At first, I thought it was my boss, Naru, himself, but as it turned out, it was his twin brother Eugene Davis.

"When Naru… left… Gene disappeared too. For a while, there were no more dreams. I thought that they had ended with the disappearance of my spirit guide, but that was false. A month after Naru had returned to England, my dreams picked up again.

However, due to the fact that I didn't have a context for them, they were just random snippets of someone else's life. A marriage, birthdays, death of loved ones, dates, having children… I didn't recognize them as visions. I just thought that they were random dreams, that I was, you know, projecting what could have been if Naru – if Naru had accepted my proposal instead of rejecting me cruelly."

Mai blinked rapidly to stop the tears that were watering her eyes from falling. After she was in control of her body and emotions once more, she continued.

"I didn't understand that I was still dreaming until it was too late. My dreams once again showed me events from the past, usually injustices endured by spirits – beatings, abuse, betrayal, and… deaths.

"The dangerous part is that the injuries the ghosts had suffered were transferred onto my body upon waking up. However, everything heals within a day – bruises often disappear within minutes, broken arms mended in an hour and bleeding wounds (depending on severity) usually within two hours. Fatal wounds are the odd ones out. They heal within seconds after waking up, but the pain doesn't fade until an hour has passed.

"I have learned how to forcefully wake up from visions that can bodily harm me, though."

"Then, was the explosion of power we felt the result from you forcefully waking up?"

Mai cringed. She didn't want to talk about this. It sounded unbelievable even to her own ears. She was probably wrong, anyway. There was no way that she had both ESP _and_ PK. That was completely unheard of.

 _No, it's not,_ her mind piped up. _After all, Naru – the_ great _Oliver Davis – has both an extraordinary strong PK ability never seen before and is able to perform Psychometry – an ability that falls in the ESP category._

Ah, how Mai hated that voice. Sure, it had helped her out quite a lot during cases and –frankly– her whole life, but right now it was terribly annoying. Mai sighed. _Alright Mai, you are strong and in control. Worst case, he tells you that isn't possible and sends you away. Then you'll just manage on your own. Best case, he'll help you control and suppress it._

Resolve strengthened, Mai answered Genryuusai.

"No. That wasn't me waking up, that was the aftermath of me being frustrated and angry. I… I think it _mighthavebeenaPKblastbutI'mnotsure._ "

There, she said it.

Anxiously, she looked up at Gen-san. To her surprise, it almost seemed like he anticipated that.

"Yes, I thought that might be the case. You see, in the Akahana family, something like that is not uncommon. Instead, it is the norm."

* * *

 **AN:**

Aand cut. This seemed like a good place to stop. In the next chapter, Genryuusai will give us all a bit background information on the Akahana family and will start to discuss Mai's training with her. Maybe it will even feature Mai training, but I'm not sure yet. Still trying to get a feeling on how long I should make a chapter.

*1: link to a picture in profile under 'sitting room'  
*2: link to a picture in profile under 'Genryuusai's brooch'

Due to _Blue sky_ mentioning the time when SPR and Mai meet again, I thought a bit about what I want to happen - and reached a very important question. Do you guys want to see pairings in this fic or not? The time when this will become relevant is still far off, but it is something I will have to build up nonetheless.

Therefore: _**Do you want to see pairings in this story or should this remain a gen story? If you want to see pairings, which are you interested in?**_

 **Luca Moretti (Guest):** Thank you for your kind comment! You reviewed only 1 and a half hours after I published it, and I couldn't believe it! It doesn't matter that you didn't write in english, I simply ran it through the Google Translator. I'm sure your writing will come along soon enough, and rest assured, I don't plan to stop writing anytime soon!

 **Glass Dragon's Rose:** I'd like to thank you for your comment. Honestly, I was quite shocked when I had posted the chapter only two hours or so ago and was preparing to go to bed when I received a notification that somebody had reviewed. Thank you for the corrections on the previous chapter (seriously - I by myself would have never even noticed them), and I'm happy that my english overall is good ;-) I hope you like the way I continued the story ^^

 **Blue Sky Of Love:** Glad that you enjoy it. I'm looking forward to that too, but it won't happen for quite some time. I want Mai to spend 4 years with the Akahana family and everyone associated with, going on cases alone and strengthening her new identity, so that she won't just return to the way she was when Naru comes back breezing in, thinking everything will be like it was before. I don't know how long that will be in chapters, because while I know that there is going to be a timeskip at some point I still don't know how long and when that will be, as well as I still need to figure out how much of the story one chapter covers.

 **wingfright:** I assume you had a typo and meant 'is' instead of 'isn't'. If that is correct, I hope you like the update and hope that this was soon enough ^^

Thank you all for commenting, favoriting and following this story!

Until next time,  
One Autumn Leaf

Edited: 19.09.2018


	3. A new life, part 2: Explanation

**Chapter 3: A new life, part 2**

Explanation 

"Yes, I thought that might be the case. You see, in the Akahana family something like that is not uncommon. Instead, it is the norm."

 _What? It's the norm?! How come nobody knows about this, then? When my dreams began to grow out of control, I searched every library and read every book pertaining even the slightest information… How is that possible?_

"You are probably wondering how it is possible that this is the norm, yet nobody knows about it, right?"

Mai held an expression of pure disbelief. _He's a mind reader!_

Genryuusai chuckled.

"No, I am not a mind reader. I am, however, quite good at Aura reading." Genryuusai held up his hand before Mai could ask the question.

"I know that you are curious, but please hold your questions until after I am finished. It is important that you hear about the history of the Akahana first. A lot of different questions will undoubtly arise, and I will mention many other psychic abilities and professions – and I will answer all your questions afterwards. Is that alright with you?"

Mai nodded. Gen-san hadn't interrupted her during her retelling, and she will return the favor. Besides, this will undoubtly be important information for her.

"The Akahana family is a very old family. Their roots can be traced back to the middle age, where they received the rank of nobles for their duties to their nation. Back then, they were affiliated with Germany.

"They can be traced back even further, though. The diary of the head of the family at that time, the oldest remaining document we have, retells information that has been passed on in the family for generations. Originally, they were a clan of nomads, who had visited and lived in almost every country across the globe. Those nomads were psychics who had been rejected from their homes, or whose life was in danger due to their powers. People back then weren't very tolerant.

"They travelled using an artifact that allegedly had the power to 'split the ocean' when infused with the spiritual power of every clan member. We assume that it was an artifact that someone enchanted with the ability of Hydrokinesis – water manipulation.

"In essence, the Akahana clan was a clan consisting of the most powerful psychics worldwide, who banded together to escape persecution. Naturally, due to them being nomads, they married people inside the clan. That resulted in their children getting more and more powerful abilities, as well as children who inherited more than one psychic ability from their parents. That resulted in many children loosing control, causing the parents to research those powers and search for ways to control them safely. Theoretically, the Akahana clan were the first psychic researchers.

"In order to make a living, the Akahana clan went around and cleansed ghosts. It was a good way to gain money, a great way to gather information on psychics and the afterlife, an excellent way to teach people how to protect themselves, and the perfect way to test the control of the children.

"The ruler of Germany at the time acknowledged the actions of the clan, and offered them the rank of nobles and a place to settle down. Sick of having to wander around, and appreciating the offer, the Akahana clan accepted. However, when the witch hunting started, sooner or later the Akahana family found itself in the middle of it. After several of their members were killed, Akahana Maximilian, whose diary I was talking about earlier, made the decision to flee. They gathered everything they could carry, and used the artifact once again to traverse the ocean. They ended up in Japan.

"Back in Germany, everything belonging to the Akahana family was burned down, in order to 'purify the curse they brought upon us'. Due to that, the oldest remaining document is Maximilian's diary. When they first arrived in Japan, they picked up their old habits: living as nomads and purifying curses, ghost, and anything else they encountered. With the money they made, they started building the Akahana compound."

 _How callous. First, they give them security and stability as thanks, and then they take it away at the drop of the hat? Those bastards. Though, isn't that kind of what I – no, no, it is completely different. Breath, Mai, listen to the story._

"Fast forward several years, and you have a big, powerful family of psychics. They were rich, had a vast political influence and were the leading experts of in the paranormal field. Over the years, there were many who wanted to join the clan and become their vassals, in order to be protected by the Akahana family. Many individuals were accepted, but only a couple families.

"The families that were accepted were the Hirota family, the Kitamura clan, the Muraoka clan, the Tsukamoto family, and my own Koizumi clan. Each of the families – or clans, depending on their size – had unique abilities and professions that allowed them to gain the protection of the Akahana family. In return for protection, they swore an everlasting oath of loyalty to the Akahana clan.

"That tradition is still upheld today – when a child from one of the clans starts training their powers, they swear an oath. For the vassals it is the oath to serve the Akahana clan with everything they can, and for the Akahana clan it is the oath to protect each of the families with their life. And they repeat that oath upon the completion of their training. It symbolizes the fact that this is an everlasting oath, upheld until every clan has died out."

 _How beautiful. They gain protection, and in return swear to never leave them. It protects both sides easily, giving them security and a family… A family that won't just run away. No, not going there, I'm not thinking about them while learning the history of my clan!_

"While I am sure that you are interested in learning about those abilities," Mai had to admit that she was _very_ curious, "I will not tell you about them now. It will be part of your training to learn about them and to learn to work _with_ them. For now, I will tell you more about the Akahana family and their abilities, and then we will see what we should focus on in your training."

Mai nodded, she had to agree that it was more sensible to start with that.

"As I said before, the Akahana clan was started by many powerful psychics banding together and becoming a family. With the children all starting to show potential with both ESP and PK, the Akahana clan created a new fighting style, a new way of utilizing those powers. The style that they created had only one condition: being capable of using both ESP and PK. It was created like that, because the children showcased many different psychic abilities. PK, pyrokinesis, Hydrokinesis, levitation, clairvoyance, second sight … You name it, someone had it.

"The style they created is called 'weapon creation'. Basically, it allows you to materialize a weapon you envision in your mind. Because that weapon is created by psychic powers, it is able to harm and kill ghosts and other beings."

"Other beings?"

"Yes. You told me about how you had to burn down the mansion during the 'Urado' case to purify it. Such a creature, a 'fallen one' would have been very easy to kill using that fighting style."

Mai choked on her tea. Urado? That monster? It would have been easy to kill _Urado_? That is crazy powerful! SPR didn't even stand a chance against it! Wide-eyed, she continued to listen to Genryuusai's explanation.

"The creation of the weapon works by imagining the weapon and all its properties in the spiritual plane, envisioning it in the real world using ESP, and materializing it by forcing the molecules in the real world into that envisioned shape using PK. It is quite complicated and takes a lot of practice to get it right, even more practice to manage under the pressure of a fight, and _still more_ to get it done quickly and correctly while under pressure, but I think it's worth it. Don't you?"

"Yeah, I agree. It _does_ sound like it's worth the amount of time it will take. But what about the drawbacks?"

"Drawbacks?"

"Yes. Like, you know, when you use too much PK your body won't be able to handle the stress and collapses or even dies. That technique sounds like it uses _quite a bit_ of both PK _and_ ESP power. Won't the user die after upholding it for too long?"

Genryuusai laughed.

"Ah, no, no. I apologize for not explaining that sooner. When you do not use any powers, your body is in an equilibrium. No power is used, no power has to be refilled, no energy needs to be consumed. However, when you use psychic abilities that aren't constantly activated, like the second sight – the ability to see spirits – one of your powers is getting drained.

"For PK users, your physical strength gets drained and an overload of mental strength occurs, causing symptoms like the heart-stopping to beat or your lungs unable to breathe. This is due to the soul wanting to ascend to the spiritual plane, where it belongs – where its final destination is.

"For ESP users, the mental strength – or spiritual strength – gets drained, causing an overload of physical strength. That causes the physical to overpower the mental part. This effectively leaves the spirit – or soul – no way to control the body, forcing it to rest until it has regained its power. Ergo, the user collapses into a deep sleep.

"Both users will only wake up when the equilibrium, the perfect balance between spiritual and physical power, is regained. If it doesn't happen in time, both users will die, though that time frame is shorter for the PK users.

"If a person possesses both PK and ESP abilities, it is even more dangerous – because the opposing power is more powerful, and can, therefore, overtake the other part more easily. The more powerful the abilities are, the higher is the threshold – the power usable before collapsing, but the direr the consequences if it is passed."

"Hold on," Mai said. "If all psychics have that equilibrium, wouldn't all of them have both PK _and_ ESP powers? Why is it so rare?"

"That is a very good question. We were never able to find an explanation and _prove_ it, but the current theory is one of the two following: either, they have both ESP and PK – meaning equal physical and spiritual psychic powers – from birth but only one ability ever manifests and dominates the other, or they're born with only one ability, and in order to survive the body builds up the 'missing' power and puts the manifested ability asleep until an equilibrium can be reached.

"The second option would explain the existence of latent psychics whose abilities manifest when they enter puberty by creating poltergeists or very good instincts. The first ability would explain the fact that some psychics are able to use their abilities from birth. But who knows? In my opinion, it is probably a mixture of both, but we can't prove anything. Maybe there is a third option that we haven't considered yet. Until we can prove it, everything is possible. What do you think?"

"Hmm… I have to agree with you, a mixture of both options seems the most logical. Or their bodies were simply able to adjust sooner… Ah, who knows?" She flashed him a brilliant smile, which Gen-san returned.

"Excellent answer, Mai. But let's continue with my explanation of the 'weapon creation' ability, alright?"

Mai nodded. She was really curious about that. Plus, she was learning so much right now! _I have to remember to write all of that down somewhere, lest I forget it. Heh, take that Naru. Your assistant is going to have surpassed you in no time!_ Mai sighed. _Why am I thinking of him_ again _? Well, at least this time it isn't a thought filled with misery and longing…_

"Like I said, using one power will affect the equilibrium and have drawbacks. However, using both powers _equally_ doesn't affect it. If both powers are used simultaneously and to the same degree, the equilibrium remains unperturbed. That is exactly what happens by using 'weapon creation'. Ergo, there is no drawback for the user. Plus, you only use your power while creating them – the moment it has manifested, there is no more drain for the user."

"Amazing… And I will be allowed to learn that?"

"Yes, you will. It is your birthright as someone who descendent from the Akahana clan, and a requirement for becoming an heiress candidate."

"Heiress candidate?" _What the hell? That definitely_ wasn't _mentioned in the letter!_

"It is of no importance right now. It won't even matter before you finish your training. Don't you think you should focus on that right now?" Gen-san gave her a meaningful look. Mai knew that she wouldn't get anything out of him, but her temper got the better of her.

"'It is of no importance right now'?! It _is_ of importance! It relates to me, doesn't it?! What right do you have to keep information –"

"Mai-san."

Gen-sans calm voice interrupted her tirade. Mai blushed when she realized that she, _once again_ , lost her control over herself.

 _Goddamnit! Why can't I seem to stay in control? First thinking, then speaking! It's not_ that _complicated._ Mai sighed. _Seems like it will take quite some time to learn how to remain in control… Maybe Gen-san will have some useful tips?_

"Mai-san." Gen-san's voice pulled Mai out of her musings. "Ah, finally with me now, I see." Gen-san didn't even make an effort to hide his amusement.

"I wasn't trying to keep information from you, or refuse to answer you. However, I think we have more important problems concerning you right now than the inner workings of the clan. We need to get you started on a proper training regimen, in order for you to learn to control your powers, and then we can start on training you in weapon creation. Sounds like a plan?"

"Yes." Mai agreed.

"Good. At a certain point in your training, you will learn about it anyway. Education will, after all, play a big control in your training, and the inner workings of the clan will be part of that. What good will it do you when you can use your powers perfectly and to your full potential, but don't know when to use them? Or on what?"

While Mai most certainly _wasn't_ interested in basically going to school again – she just finished it, for cripes sake – she could definitely see the merit of studying. After all, even _he_ was only so good when solving cases because of the vast knowledge of the paranormal he had acquired while in England.

Therefore, Mai settled for a nod, which made Genryuusai smile.

"In order to ensure the best training regimen possible, I'd like you to tell me your goals. What do you want to achieve? What did you hope for coming here? Where do you want to end up after completing your training?"

Mai slowly exhaled.

"Control. What I am looking for is control. Not just control about my powers, but control over _everything_. Including my emotions. I am aiming for the kind of control you already possess."

Genryuusai nodded knowingly.

"And why are you aiming for that kind of control? I know from experience that you don't just wake up one day and decide it might be something nifty to have."

Mai took a deep breath. This would be hard to talk about.

"When I was telling you about my powers earlier, I am sure that you noticed that I avoided talking about them – about SPR – as much as possible." Seeing Gen-san nod, she continued. "Well, there is a reason for that. I-I considered them my family, and I thought they did too. I-I thought... I thought that we –"

Mai took a deep breath, composed herself, and allowed her eyes to harden. She continued in an unemotional voice.

"I thought that we would remain together forever. I thought that I could come to them with every problem I would ever have and that they would always be there forever to hear me out. Well, they weren't." She barked out a short, cruel laugh.

"Turns out that my boss, Naru, whom I thought was named Shibuya Kazuya, had been lying to us about his identity from the very beginning. He and Lin only came to Japan to search for and retrieve Gene's body, and once they found them, they returned to England. His true name is Oliver Davis. Before they left, I confessed my love to Naru though – and he had the guts to ask me 'me or Gene?' before turning and walking away without hearing my answer!"

Towards the end, Mai's voice had begun to rise. She quickly returned it into the emotionless one.

"Shortly after that, everyone else left too. They all had their own lives to take care of, and, incidentally, all of them had to be overseas. They all abandoned me, and left me all alone."

Mai exhaled a shaky breath.

"I was completely on my own six months after Naru left for England. I fell into a depression, and my powers were killing me by the time your letter arrived six months later. I know they left, and I know I have to deal with it. The problem is that I just – I just can't stop loving them!"

Tears pooled in her eyes.

"I want to learn control because I don't want to stop feeling emotions, I don't want to stop living happily, and I want to be able to look back on my memories of them, of _us_ , with a smile, and not with tears or hate. Right now I can barely _think_ about them or remember, and when I do, it is always painful. You probably noticed earlier – the only way I can talk about them is by locking away my emotions and detaching myself from the situation.

"But that's not who I am! I just- I just want to be who I was before they left. I want to be strong. I want to be independent. I want to be able to face anything and prevail. I want to be able to feel positive emotions. I want to live happily. I want to be who I was meant to be, who I was, who I _am_ , and not just a shell of my former self. I just _want to be_ _ **me**_!

"I refuse to let them break me and just roll over and give up. That's not me. I struggle, I fight, and in the end, I will _win_. That's why I want to be in control. No, that's why I _**need**_ to be in control."

Genryuusai kept his face blank as he looked at Mai. He didn't want to admit it, but her little impromptu speech touched him. After the cruel murder on his fiancée twenty years ago, he had learned how to control himself. His fiancée's final words, delivered by her most trusted Shiki and voiced with her last breath while she was dying, had almost broken him. She had spoken words of love, loyalty, and trust, as well as support and regret. And she had asked him to move on, and eventually find someone else – her final wish was for him to live happily and stand strong.

Although those words had almost broken him, he decided to honor her wish – he decided to live happily, for her sake. He decided that he would live her share of happiness too so that he could make her smile and be proud when they finally met again. Therefore, he had learned control, in order to make living happily a legitimate possibility.

And Mai wanted to do the same.

However, their situations were completely different. Where he had gotten love, trust, regret, and encouragement, she got empty promises, rejections, and ignored phone calls. Where he had gotten final words and support, she had been left behind and forgotten. Where he had a family, a clan and a duty that gave him a reason to live and a direction, she was left completely alone with unforgiving ghosts and uncontrollable powers. Where he fought for happiness with the support of everyone besides him, she fought for survival on her own. Where he experienced love, she experienced emptiness.

Yet, she prevailed.

She won her fight for survival.

She won the fight against her depression.

She won the fight against the emptiness inside her.

And now, she was looking for directions in order to carve her way.

Yes, Akahana Mai's speech touched him. And Akahana Mai impressed him.

Where Taniyama Mai had faltered, given up, and had lost, Akahana Mai had preserved, soldiered on, faced an uphill battle and was winning. While Taniyama Mai was a person to pity, Akahana Mai was one to admire.

At this moment, Koizumi Genryuusai knew. While everybody else had been rejected as an heir by the spirits, Mai was going to pass with flying colors. At that moment, Genryuusai knew. Akahana Mai was going to go far. She would succeed in everything she put her mind on. She would never give up, never falter. He knew that one day, Akahana Mai was going to be an excellent and powerful leader. She would be _his_ leader.

And until then, while she was still stumbling along, trying to carve her path in the unforgiving stone that was this world, looking for directions and needing a hand to help her along, Genryuusai would watch over her.

He would protect her, guide her, help her, and be there for her.

Whatever she may decide, he would support her. Whatever she didn't know, he would teach her. Whenever she fell, he would catch her. And when she became who she was always meant to be, he would chase her, trying to keep up with her.

Koizumi Genryuusai knew. He had found the true leader. She would take this world by storm, and impress everyone she encountered.

And when she did, when she reached her potential, Genryuusai would find himself unable to keep up with the pace she sat, and would no longer be able to protect and guide her.

When that time came, he would gaze proudly at her back, while she would stand strong in front of him and everyone else following her. She would stand before them, face everything thrown at her, and win, because that was who Akahana Mai was. She was a leader.

His leader.

But until that time came, until she was ready, until she reached her potential, he would look out for her.

And right now, he had a young adult to guide, whom he would give his tools to allow her to cave a path they all could follow.

Genryuusai smiled.

 _I am glad I was able to live this long, Hanako._

* * *

 **AN:** _  
_

Alright, cuuut. I apologize, looks like I lied - no discussing of Mai's training in this chapter. I have already written it, but I didn't want to put it in here - it seemed appropriate to let it finish on this note. I actually don't know what happened - it was supposed to be a short explanation of the Akahana families history, which totally blew out of proportion, followed by a speech from an emotional Mai, which I didn't plan, and ended with Genryuusai wanting to guide, protect and later follow Mai. Whaat?! Btw, In case it wasn't obvious - Hanako is Genryuusai's deceased fiancée. I hope this chapter wasn't too long-winded.

I am currently trying to decide what I'm going to do with Mai's training. I will definitely skip over the 'education' part of her training, because it is both boring to write and read, and will instead picture it - if necessary - per flashbacks. Mai will also have to train her mind, in order to control her ESP and emotions, which will entail (small spoilers ahead) mediation - which I also consider skipping over. However, I think I want to show her PK training and the training for 'weapon creation' as well as the other stuff (still a secret ^^) **What do you guys think?**

Btw, guys, I would totally like to apologize - I accidentally wrote that she considered John and Yasu her parents! Obviously, I went back and edited it. I was just so mortified when I saw that! Guess that's what I get for not proofreading... grr...

* * *

 _ **As always, I would like to thank everybody who reviewed, followed or favorited this story!**_

 **Silver-Sapphire22 :** Wow, I feel so honored that you put me on your favorite author list! I hope you enjoyed this chapter

 **Luca Moretti:** Hehe, thanks! Hope you like this one too! And I agree, not many people write ghost hunt fanfictions.

 **melchormonica8:** Well, in that case, it's a good case I update so quickly, no? ^^

 **fabian1nina1:** I plan to! Glad you like it.

 **Guest:** Puh, I'm glad! Thanks! Hope you liked this chapter, too

 **Joys:** Thanks! Hope you enjoyed this chapter ^^

 **beauty is beastly: **Hah, you literally reviewed _just_ as I was about to post this chapter the first time. Then, I obviously had to include you in the round of gratitude, and just when I had finished writing my answer, my laptop died. _U_ _gh_... So, I am now typing this again XD  
Glad you liked it! And luckily I am updating quickly at the moment, that way you guys don't have to wait so long ;-) I agree, those are my favorite kind of stories too - in _any_ fandom! And don't worry, she will get her sense of family back - and it's going to be even bigger than before! But no worries, SPR will find their way back together too - but it definitely won't be the same way as it was before *evil laughing in the background*. As for Naru - during the anime I was always wondering why he was running away from emotions, and what he thought that would solve. When it was revealed to be his way of 'controlling' his emotions, I almost laughed! But I feel sorry for Naru - if I would constantly cause poltergeists which would endanger myself and everyone around me, only to be told that it was caused by my emotions, I would act the same way! But my Mai is smart and experienced enough _not_ to do that.

 **Nagisa Maeda:** Hehe, you reviewed just as I was about to update the story. I am glad you like it ^^ Hihi, seeing someone describe my chapters as amazing makes me feel really fuzzy inside ^^ Is updating eight minutes after reviewing soon enough? ^^

Until next time,  
One Autumn Leaf

Edited: 27.09.2018


	4. A new life, part 3: Training regimen

**Note:**  
I don't think I ever clarified it, but the timeline goes something like this:

timelines/1873996

16 - 17 years old: Working with SPR  
17 years old: Disbandment of SPR  
17.5 years old: Mai joins Akahana Clan

* * *

 **Chapter 4: A new life, part 3**

Training regimen

"I refuse to let them break me and just roll over and give up. That's not me. I struggle, I fight, and in the end, I will win. That's why I want to be in control. No, that's why I need to be in control."

A smile spread over Gen-san's face. He leaned over the table and ruffled her hair.

"That is an excellent reason, my dear Mai-chan."

"M-Mai-chan?"

"Yup, yup. Considering that you gave me a nickname, this is already appropriate, don't you think?" His eyes held a dangerous gleam that made Mai gulp.

"Uhm, I guess so." _Somehow I have a bad feeling about this…_

"Good! Now that we have established that," Serious Genryuusai was back in place, "let's talk about your training regimen. "

Mai nodded. She, too, was now completely serious.

"Psychic powers are deeply rooted with your mind. It is where they are born, used, and controlled. The stronger your mind is, stronger your psychic abilities are, and the stronger is your control over them. While this holds true for both ESP and PK users, it is especially true for Espers, while for PK users a big part of the training is practice and repetition.

"That is why you will have to spend a lot of time on training your mind. That will – naturally – be done in part by furthering your education, but mostly you will spend your time meditating. By the way, this will also help you to learn how to be in control."

Mai sighed. _Meditation… Great. If someone would ask me what I would consider a waste of time, this would be it. Oh well, Gen-san wouldn't be recommending it if he didn't believe it would help – and his explanation does make sense, I suppose._

"Ok, I'm in. So what exactly does my day look like, constant meditation only interrupted by food and sleep?"

"Nope. _That_ would be a huuge waste of time, my dear Mai-chan," Gen-san laughed while winking, "and that won't do, no? Not to mention that that would be stupid."

Mai pouted. _And how exactly was I supposed to know that? Seriously, when he's like this he is a mix of Yasu and Naru – constantly teasing, but with a playful feel to it, not a hurtful one. And then, he's all serious, like Lin-san, the next moment._ Mai giggled. _What a strange person…_

"Are you laughing at me, Mai-chan?" Genryuusai's eyebrows wiggled.

"No, no, I would never!" Mai managed to say before dissolving into laughter.

Gen-san chuckled. "Alright, let's get back to your training. You will practice three different kinds of meditation: the so-called 'no thought', 'focused attention' and 'open monitoring'.

"'Focused attention' and 'open monitoring' will be relevant in order to learn to control yourself. Therefore, we will sideline them until you can sufficiently control your dreams and PK – otherwise, you will die."

Mai nodded – the fact that her powers were killing her was nothing new to her.

"'No thought' on the other hand is the form of meditation that we will be utilized to control your abilities. We may or may not – though I am almost positive we will – add further control exercises when your powers continue to grow and we start learning 'weapon creation'. That skill requires perfect control. 'No thought' is usually not enough to achieve that."

 _Perfect control? Seems like I'm in for a fun time_ , Mai thought. _Though I knew from the beginning that this wouldn't be easy._

"Sounds like fun! When do we start?" Genryuusai laughed.

"Don't be so impatient, Mai. Surely you didn't think that this was all that your training would encompass?" Mai remained silent.

"You will also build up your stamina by running each morning and evening. Not only is jogging perfect for clearing the mind and therefore a good preparation for the 'No thought' or 'wu nian' meditation."

 _Yay, jogging._

"Besides, should you have any plans on ever working in the paranormal business again, the stamina will be a necessary foundation during cases. I am sure you already experienced that?"

 _Yep… Every time some stupid ghost chased me or a client was endangered or a team member got cornered – ok, maybe it will be useful and necessary after all._

Seeing Mai nod, Gen-san continued.

"On top of that, you will either practice yoga or qigong. Both will be useful in the sense that they are calming and connect movement with meditation, which will undoubtedly be useful when aiming for perfect control. Personally, I'd recommend qigong, simply for the fact that we have a practitioner on site who could instruct you, as well as due to the fact that qigong is the basis of many martial arts styles, which would also help you in the long run. Please tell me by tomorrow which one you would prefer."

"No need, I already know that I will choose qigong."

"Oh? Care to elaborate why?"

"Well, first of all, I have already seen it in action, and therefore know that it will indeed be helpful," although Naru put himself in the hospital, "and I have a feeling that it will be less… boring than yoga and more dynamic."

Genryuusai chuckled. "Very well, but do keep in mind that exercises aren't chosen due to their entertainment factor, Mai."

"I won't, I won't promise!"

"Alright. Lastly –"

"There's more?!" Mai groaned

Ignoring the interruption, Gen-san continued. "Lastly, you will try your hand at several weapons and learn the one you show the most aptitude in. This will be done in preparation for 'weapon creation'. What good is a weapon if you cannot utilize it?"

Mai sighed. "Please tell me that that is everything." She looked up at Gen-san with pleading eyes. Genryuusai just smirked.

"One final thing: this." Genryuusai took something out of his pockets and showed it to her. It was a beautiful, white ring, stylized with a flower and decorated with gems. (*1)

"What is this?"

"It is a ring that shows your affiliation with the Akahana clan. You see, with the five clans in servitude to the Akahana family as well as the many members of the family itself, it was easy to lose the overview about who has which rank. Therefore, accessories were utilized to show the rank. Rings for women, brooches for men. There are a total of three 'ranks': Affiliation, Exorcist, and slayer.

"That ring is the 'affiliation' ring given to every female member of the clan, regardless of whether they start training or not, to show that they are part of the clan. Yours, however, is a bit special. Several members of the Tsukamoto family layered spells over it, and Ken'ichi-sama – the current head of the Akahana family – has personally enchanted it. That ring possesses the power to completely stop your powers from manifesting. That means no dreams, no astral projecting, no PK, and whatever else you may develop.

"Additionally, this also stops any magic or psychic ability to influence you. That means no curses may affect you, no psychometry or clairvoyance can find you, and possession or even detection of your person by a ghost or demon is impossible." In the end, Genryuusai wore a smug, self-satisfied grin on his face.

"Wow. I am at a loss for words. Doesn't that make this ring an artifact?"

"Yes, it does."

"Eh?! Isn't that, like, super expensive or something? Why would you just give it to me?"

Suddenly, Genryuusai grew very serious. He stood up, walked around the table until he sat in front of Mai, put his hands on her shoulders and looked her dead in the eyes.

"Listen Mai, and listen closely. You are part of the Akahana family. To everybody on this compound, you are the same as family. You may not feel like that right now, you might not acknowledge us as such yet, and the personal connections may not be there yet – but you. Are. Family. Don't ever assume anything else.

"Family is considered the single most important thing on this compound. It is the basis for loyalty, love, respect, and protection. You can go to every person on this compound, night and day, and they will help you with whatever you need as best as they can. They don't demand a compensation or anything like that, and they don't expect it either. All that is needed is a simple thanks, to show appreciation of their actions, and to pass on your help to the next person who needs it. Alright?"

All Mai could do was nod.

"And this time around, what you needed was security. Protection. Safety. And if giving that to you means putting in a lot of effort, or paying huge sums of money, everybody would do it without a single regret and without hesitation.

"Though, if I may add, this ring took neither of those things. Yes, they put in quite an amount of time, and the created artifact is worth quite a bit, but it wasn't a loss for anyone. The time and effort was split between ten people, and the profit that could be made with the ring is _nothing_ compared to the monetary resources the clan already possesses. OK?"

At this point, Mai was fighting hard to keep the tears that pooled in her eyes from falling. _Family_. Though she had considered everybody in SPR part of hers, none of them ever came forward and told her that they considered her that as well. And yet this man, whom she had been talking with for barely an hour, comes forward and claims her as part of his family – and said that everybody else on this compound did too. How could she _not_ cry from that?

Instead, she swallowed her cries that wanted to break free, repressed her tears, and looked up at Genryuusai. She gave him a warm smile, and in a soft voice, full of emotions, answered "Okay." She couldn't suppress the sniffle that broke loose, though.

Genryuusai, noticing that he had overwhelmed Mai, stood up and held his hand out to her.

"Come on, I'll show you to your room. We eat dinner at seven. Do you want to eat alone today, in order to settle in?"

Mai nodded.

"Alright. A maid will bring up the food at seven then. I will see you tomorrow morning at dawn for your first morning jog, and we will do the meditation immediately afterwards, alright?" He said in a gentle tone.

Again, Mai just nodded mutely. Genryuusai looked softly at the overwhelmed teenager.

"And this would be your room. Rest well, Mai, and good night."

"Good night, Gen-san."

* * *

Mai didn't realize it at the time, but that conversation sparked something in her.

It sparked the need to protect those dear to her, as well those who received her with such kindness. When reminiscing about it later, Mai would name that conversation with Genryuusai as the point where she truly started to change - where she truly became powerful. That need to be able to protect them would be what would drive to work harder and harder in her training, would become the force that would allow her to push past her limits, would be her determination to never give up.

That very need, that determination, would only increase over time as she encountered more and more of those she would come to call her family. And the stronger the bonds surrounding her grew, the stronger Mai herself became - so that she would never lose somebody again.

* * *

 **AN:**

Alright, very short chapter, I know. This was supposed to be longer, but I didn't have much time today. I debated whether to post a longer chapter tomorrow or the short one today and decided for the short one today because I won't have much time tomorrow, either. Well anyway, this will be Mai's training for the foreseeable future until she can at least control her powers enough to _not_ kill herself.

*1 see profile: Affiliation with Akahana clan (women) - the white ring  
I also already linked the male equivalent, if you are interested.

* * *

 _ **As always, I would like to thank everybody who reviewed, followed or favourited this story!**_

 **Nagisa Maeda:** Glad to hear that! Yep, I think the details are very important for something like that, otherwise, it will feel hollow. And I'm glad you like Genryuusai - I really enjoy writing him!

 **fabian1nina1:** I still haven't decided if she'll end up with him, but to be honest, right now that is kinda the direction it is going in - but Naru will have to make up for a lot, first! ^^

 **Blue Sky Of Love:** Actually, I was going to address that at a different point in the fic (somewhere during the training, no specific time set yet), but I can already tell you that her mother isn't a descendant of the Akahana clan. She was, however, powerful in her own right. And I'm so sorry about the redundancy - I hope this chapter is better!

 **Joys:** Glad to hear that. Yeah, I myself really enjoy writing Gen-san, so I am glad that he is so well received. And I think the bond between the both of them is definitely going to be something to look forward to, if I manage to execute it right. As you can see, I decided to show a bit of her mental training as you recommended - and I am going to use the chance to introduce another OC that will play an important role. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

 **melchormonica8:** Thanks! Hope you enjoyed it!

Until next time,  
One Autumn Leaf

Edited: 11.10.2018


	5. A new life, part 4: Revelations

**Chapter 5: A new life, part 4**

Revelations

"And this would be your room. Rest well, Mai, and good night."

"Good night, Gen-san."

Mai stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. Once she couldn't hear Gen-san's footsteps anymore, she slumped against the door and slowly slid to the ground when her legs gave out.

Gen-san's voice echoed through her head. _"Listen Mai, and listen well. You are part of the Akahana family."_

How long had she been longing to hear those words? Those words that claimed her as part of someone's family. That gave her somewhere to belong to. That showed that somebody _cared_ for her, would fight for her, would protect her, would be on her side, would _always be there_ for here? The words that said 'we want you' and 'you are a part of us'.

The answer was too long. Nobody had claimed her as a family since her mother died. Not since she was orphaned. She had never felt like she truly belonged somewhere since then.

Sure, there was her kind teacher that took her in, but that was out of pity, not out of love for her. There were her friends, Michiru and Keiko, but how long has it been since she talked with them? How long since she saw them? And how long since they last hung out? The last question was easy to answer – not since she had joined SPR.

Ah, SPR. The reason for this whole shitload of problems and regrets.

She had truly thought that SPR was the answer to her questions. That it was the place where she belonged. Where people would care for her, fight for her, and protect her. And the thing was, they _were_. But only when it was in the context of a case, or when connected to the office.

Was there ever a time where they met up apart from that? Anytime they talked outside of it? Phoned each other, apart from the 'we have a case, wanna join in?' call? Heck, did they ever even _text_ each other outside from it?

The answer was no. No, they didn't. They didn't hang out, they didn't meet up, they didn't call or text. Well, _unless_ they were all at the office, of course. Which, admittedly, was fairly often, but still always associated with work – if only through the place.

How much did she actually know about them, anyways?

Naru and Lin lied to them, to _her_ , right from the beginning. Well, Naru lied. Lin omitted. She could probably add Gene in as well – it's not like he ever told her who he actually was. He just let her believe that he was indeed Naru. Naru, who blackmailed her into working for him, by saying that she had to refund the camera. Naru, who lied about his name. About his identity. About his reason for opening SPR in the first place. About anything, really. And Naru, who probably didn't feel any regret about his actions and couldn't find fault in them.

Mai sobbed.

Why did she even love him in the first place? He was a cold, lying, narcissistic, tea addicted bastard, who treated her like she was the dirt under his shoes.

 _Well, he never actually does that. He just makes you_ feel _like the dirt under his shoes by his cold hearted insults. And he's not actually cold, just acts that way, and he actually had a reason for lying. As for being narcissistic, maybe it's his way of staying in contact with Eugene? They_ are _identical twins after all… Maybe he sees Gene when he looks at a mirror. As for his tea addiction – he_ does _come from England, after all. Maybe that is normal there?_

 _Ah, Mai, what are you doing? Why are you making excuses for him, AGAIN?! But the question remains – why_ did _I ever love him?_

It all started as a normal crush. Naïve high school girl crushes on hot, smart guy shrouded in mystery, who introduces her to a new world, previously hidden from her eyes – the world of the paranormal.

Mai scowled. _Sounds like a frigging Shoujo manga._

But then, it evolved into something more. But when? When did her crush change into love? Mai wasn't able to pinpoint the exact moment, but she could easily tell every time that her love increased: whenever she was rescued by him.

Every time when he pulled her out of the line of fire. When he put himself into danger to protect her. When he got hurt protecting her. When he distracted her from the pain, from the situation. Every time when he saved the day.

A slideshow of memories started before her eyes.

 _Naru, running to catch up with her when she ran headfirst into a dangerous situation without thinking. Naru, pulling her behind him when the ghosts came too close for comfort. Naru, standing protectively in front of her when the ghosts had put her in their sights once again. Naru, catching her before she could fall into the manhole. Naru, calming her down enough to try and put her feet on the ladder. Naru, allowing himself to fall in the manhole with her, and clearing the rubble on the ground with his PK to ensure that they don't break something. Naru, distracting her with his 'pet' from the dangerous situation. Naru, protecting her from the roof caving in. Naru's voice calming her down before she could panic. Naru, bringing her a cup of tea after that horrendous vision._

After the slideshow ended, Mai could only come to one horrifying conclusion. _My love for Naru… was it all… Hero worship? Was there never any true love at all?!_

"Hah," Mai laughed, but there wasn't any joy in it. In fact, it was quite emotionless, except maybe for the bitter feeling audible within it. "So it was all just a crush, coupled with hero worship and admiration/gratitude for the one who gave my family, my place to belong? That's sad, even for me."

But that was the crux of it, wasn't it? It seemed like he gave her a family, a place she belonged, love, when in fact, he didn't. Mai frowned. She thought about her thought from earlier. What did she know about her 'family', anyway?

She had already established that she knew next to nothing about Lin and Naru – hadn't even known their true names until the bitter end.

What about Masako? She knew that she was a medium, was famous, had her own TV show, was quite rich, preferred wearing Kimono's, was always controlled and graceful and in love with Naru.

 _What else? What do I know about her personality, her home life, her family, her hobbies, her favorite food?_

Well… She has quite a snobby personality, though Mai supposed that was a mask. After all, Masako had shown that she was capable of kindness towards ghosts, and had shown empathy when Mai was in her post-nightmare state on the Urado case, and was seriously concerned for her.

 _But if that is a mask… What does it hide?_ Mai's blood ran cold when she realized that she didn't know. She didn't know anything about Masako apart from what she listed earlier. And those were just superficial traits and knowledge, something everyone would know about her after spending more than 24 hours in her presence. Mai felt horrible. _But then again,_ Mai reasoned, _Masako and I never really got along due to our rivalry about Naru. Surely I know more about everyone else._

 _Let's see… What about John?_

Hmm… John is a catholic priest and an exorcist. He detests violence, and is the peace maker in their little team. If Naru is to be believed, John is quite young to be a priest. He hails from Australia, and was in Japan due to… what? Why was John in Japan?

Mai had to admit that she didn't know. _Well, what else do I know about him…_ _He is empathetic, kind-hearted and fairly trusting. He is also… humble? That's it?! That's all I know about John? That's all I know about the kin and open hearted priest? That can't be everything._

But try as she might, Mai couldn't come up with more facts about John.

 _Then, then what about Yasu? I spent so much time with him each day, surely I know a lot about him?_

But alas, as it turned out Mai knew even less about Yasuhara than she knew about the others.

She knew that Yasu had started university and was currently studying abroad on a scholarship. He was very smart, polite when he needed to, a good actor, and enjoyed teasing. He is very good at researching, is helpful, and always joking. Apart from that… Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Slightly frantic, Mai turned her thoughts to Ayako, her mother figure.

Okay. Ayako is very rich. Her parents run several hospitals throughout Japan, and she herself is a doctor. She is a self-styled Miko, and has a special connection with the spirits in the trees, which she relies on in her exorcisms. Ayako is hot-blooded and confident, and likes to identify a spirit as an earth-bound spirit the moment she starts a case. What else? Um, she is compassionate and hates doing manual labor. And… And… She grew up spoiled, and… That's it?

 _Come on Mai, that can't be it. You considered this person to be your mother figure, that can't be the_ only _things you know about her. It's not possible! You aren't such a shallow person! Think Mai, think!_

Tears welled in her eyes. Being unable to come up with any more facts about Ayako, Mai assembled what she knew about Bou-san.

Alright. Bou-san is a monk, and grew up on Mount… something. Mount… Kuya? Kyoya? Koya! He grew up on Mt. Koya, and became a monk because his family owned the temple. Like John, he is a powerful exorcist, but his religion is Buddhism. He works as a bassist, and ghost hunting is his side job. He is good with kids, and has a playful personality – he often jokes around. Umm… he is a good leader and really knowledgeable about the supernatural. When the situation calls for it, he is serious. Apart from that… umm… he likes to call me 'jou-chan'? and… Oh! His favorite drink is iced coffee.

 _That's it? While that is more than what I know about everyone else, it is less than I know about Keiko or Michiru! She knew barely anything about any of them! She knew almost nothing about them, and dared to call them her family? Why did she do that anyway?_

Mai thought long and hard about it, and came to the conclusion that it was probably due to the dangers during a case. She assumed it was something like a variation of the hero worship she felt for Naru – during the cases, she could easily die anytime. Therefore, when they showed her any amount of kindness, the feelings were heightened, and the bonds they developed thus _felt_ strong, when in reality it was fragile and weak.

Naru's leaving had shown that. The moment there wasn't any purpose left and no dangerous situation to survive, their bonds had crumbled. Everyone else had probably realized that already, and moved on.

 _They must think I am so pathetic. The naïve little girl, who couldn't see the truth when it was displayed in front of her – no, who_ refused _to see it. They are probably secretly relieved that they don't have to deal with me again, that I finally disappeared._

It was then, that Mai realized something with a startling clarity.

 _My love for Naru was built on a lie. It was built on a crush for a non-existent identity, coupled with hero worship resulting from dangerous situations she wouldn't be in without him and his lie about a broken camera that had to be repaired, paired with admiration and gratitude for the one who gave me a family, a place to belong, that never existed in the first place._

 _My love for Naru was built on a lie, and thus I never loved him._

 _My family never abandoned me, because I never had one in the first place._

 _Ergo, there is nothing holding me back from my training. There is nothing holding me back from becoming a true member of the Akahana family. There is nothing holding me back from creating my own family, a new family._

 _Because my time with SPR was nothing but a lie._

With that realization, Mai stood up from where she was still crumbled against the floor. She dried her tears, and felt oddly refreshed. In fact, she felt better than she ever had since the disbanding of SPR, and she felt a new sense of purpose coursing through her.

She wouldn't just train in order to avoid being killed by her own powers. No, Mai would train in order to grasp her future in her own hands, and shape it herself. And right now, what she had seen of the Akahana clan was promising.

She wouldn't mind getting to know Gen-san better, beyond the student-teacher relationship. Even though he was twice as old as she was, she had a feeling that he would make an excellent friend for her. He was someone she could depend on, someone she could trust. And he had already claimed her as a apart of his family, and Mai realized that she wanted nothing more. Besides, Mai always trusted her feelings. It was a hard earned lesson when she was still with SPR.

Pulling herself out of her thoughts, Mai looked around the room, taking it in for the first time.

And promptly smiled ruefully.

 _Alright, first order of business, stop referring to it as a room. This is an apartment, and it is easily three times as big as my old one._

Mai assessed her surroundings. Apparently, she was standing in her living room.

The floor was a light cherry wood. In the middle of it stood a kotatsu, big enough that she could easily eat at it, surrounded by cushions. The cloth was a royal blue. A comfy couch, colored in the exact same shade, stood near the wall, facing a television, and accompanied with a coffee table. The TV was framed by a large book case, holding many different books. Upon closer inspection, she could see that almost all of them were related to the paranormal, and the few that weren't were books covering university subjects. In the corners, strange speakers were situated. They reached from the floor to the ceiling, and were only as thick as her arm.

Between the big windows in front of her a glass door led outside to the balcony. Next to her, two opposing glass doors led to other parts of the apartment. She followed the one on her right hand side.

It led to an impressive bedroom. A beautiful double bed stood at the wall in the middle of the room. In Mai's opinion, she could comfortably fit in five times – and still have space left over! Many pillows were stacked on top of it, and a nightstand stood to the right side. More bookcases adorned the wall. This time, however, they were all novels of different genres, with one book shelve being completely empty – probably to allow her to fit in books of her own, should she ever desire to. In one corner, next to the strange speakers – that were in this room, too – a high tech music player was situated. Since she couldn't see any boxes, she assumed that the tone would come through the speakers. She would have to test it out later. Below the big windows a desk was placed, with a reading lamp next to it and a comfy chair in front of it. On the left side of the bed, a comfy armchair was situated, probably to allow for a comfy reading experience.

With all this stuff, it should be cramped, but the room was spacious enough that it wasn't. Two more doors led away from the room. One led to a generic bathroom with shower, toilet, sink, and a bathtub, while the other led to a fully stocked walk-in closet. Mai very much squealed when she saw stuff placed within it.

The other door from the living room led to a kitchen. It came complete with an oven, a stocked refrigerator, a stove, a pantry, cleaning utensils and a water kettle. The best discovery – in Mai's mind, anyways – was the discovery of the _huge_ tea variety she found in a cupboard. In the middle of the kitchen stood a large table, at which eight people would fit without a problem.

* * *

Mai's excursion of her ' _room_ ' as Gen-san had put it was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Opening it, Mai came face to face with a blonde maid holding a tray of food.

"Good evening, Mai-sama. I have your dinner with me. Where would you like me to put it?"

"On the kotatsu, if you would be so nice… uh…" Mai looked at the maid. Luckily, she caught the hint.

"Excuse me for not introducing myself previously, Mai-sama. My name is Mia."

"Mia?! That is almost the same name I have! It's just an anagram of it!" For the first time since arriving at the Akahana compound, Mai beamed.

"Yep! Such a coincidence." Mia giggled. "Oh well, I better let you eat in peace now, my uncle wants to see you for a 'jog' at five o'clock tomorrow morning after all. That is undoubtly going to be exhausting."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea – wait what? Uncle?!"

"Yep. Genryuusai is my uncle. Though he's kind of scary, isn't he? I'm sorry if he intimidated you, he's like that to everyone."

"Eh? What are you talking about? Gen-san was very kind to me…"

"You call him 'Gen-san' and he hasn't told you off about is or tried to eat you alive?"

"Ehm… Nope? He laughed about it, actually."

"You… You are something else, Mai-sama. Allow me to reintroduce myself: My name is Koizumi Mia, an untrained member of the Koizumi clan. Starting today, I was assigned to be your personal maid. If your room needs cleaning or you need a restock on food or anything else, please don't hesitate to call me."

"Thank you, Mia, I will be sure to let you know. But please, drop the –sama… I hope to be good friends with you, eventually, and that will just be in the way of it," Mai said with a smile.

Mia giggled again. "I hope for the same thing, but unfortunately I cannot drop the –sama. You are my superior, after all, and you are a part of the Akahana family. Besides, if a friendship can't be created while using that suffix, it was a weak relationship to begin with – at least that is my opinion."

Mai pursed her lips. "You are right. In that case, it is nice to meet you, Mia."

"Likewise, Mai-sama. Oh, if you ever have any problems, personal or with the workings in the clan, please don't hesitate to ask me. We are friends, and family, after all."

Upon hearing those words, 'friends and family', an unidentifiable feeling bloomed in Mai's chest. A true smile blossomed on her face, and her eyes were full of gratitude and happiness when she turned them on Mia.

Then, in a gentle voice, Mai said "Thank you, Mia. You don't know how much that means to me."

Mia, on the other hand, upon seeing those eyes and that smile, made a silent oath towards herself.

 _I am going to protect that smile. Whatever she needs, I will make sure that she gets it, and I will always be there for her. That true smile, and those beautiful expressive eyes, should never change. If any of the guys make any move that endangers that, I will castrate them myself!_

Mia smiled back at Mai.

"Right now, I don't. But I am sure I will eventually be able to understand it, when I know you better. Now, I really need to leave. Otherwise that food will be cold, and you will never wake up in time for the run!"

Laughing, she turned, waved at Mai, and sped down the corridor. Over her shoulders she shouted "I will retrieve the tableware while you are running tomorrow! Good night, Mai! Sleep well!"

Then, she turned at the corner, leaving a smiling Mai to shake her head at the upbeat maid.

"Seriously," she muttered to herself, "if she runs like that, she will just slip someday."

With that, she stepped back into her room, closed the door, and ate her dinner, before falling asleep at eight o'clock. This night, there were no dreams that weren't her own - the ring made sure of that.

* * *

Mai woke up at four o'clock. She felt extremely tired and uncoordinated, and decided to take a quick, cold shower to wake herself up. After having dried her hair, she stood inside her wardrobe and wondered what the hell she should wear. Don't get her wrong, she knew she should wear sport stuff, but there were just so. Many. Options!

In the end, Mai decided upon a simple black tracksuit with white lines running down the sides. A white rose, highlighted with black, was stitched on the right arm. It was the emblem of the Akahana family, though usually it was a red rose with white highlights.

Mai had just finished putting up her hair in a ponytail and tying her white running shoes before she heard a knock on the door.

"I'm coming, give me a sec!"

She opened the door to a smiling Gen-san, looking as if he was awake since a couple of hours.

"Good morning, Mai-chan!"

Mai just groaned. "Gen-san," she whined, "how can you possibly be _this_ upbeat at this time in the morning?"

"Practice, my dear Mai-chan, practice," Gen-san sung. "You will get the necessary practice in as well – until you have completed your meditation training, you will be joining me in my morning runs every day!"

Mai just groaned.

The two of them trudged out of the house, and followed a sandy path until they stood at the edge of a forest.

"So, Mai-chan, I hope you have waked up enough. Let us indulge in the most enjoyable exercise of them all: jogging!" Gen-sans voice was extremely happy.

"Ne, Gen-san?"

"Yes, my beloved Mai-chan?"

"Do you always call me 'Mai-chan' when you are teasing me and making me do stuff you know I will hate (or at least dislike), or is that my imagination?"

Gen-san laughed. "Must be your imagination," he stated with a too smug voice, eyes dancing in mirth and – _did he just_ wink _at me_?

 _Definitely not my imagination_ , Mai scowled. _Note to self: be wary of Gen-san when he calls you 'Mai-chan'._

"Well then, Mai-chan. If you have no further questions, then we will know start on a thirty minute run. It will allow me to gauge your endurance and tempo. Go!"

* * *

Thirty minutes later found Mai completely exhausted, and unwilling to move even a single muscle.

"Alright, Mai, I know that you probably don't want to do anything more than lie down and fall asleep, but we need to stretch. Otherwise, your muscles will hurt tremendously tomorrow."

Mai groaned, but took Gen-sans hand that helped her stand up from the ground she was sitting on previously.

After Gen-san had guided them through fifteen minutes of stretching exercises, he motioned for her to follow him.

They reentered the Akahana estate, and ended up in a room that was obviously a dojo. Yoga mats were placed in the middle of the room, forming a big rectangle. Sitting in the middle of it, with his back turned to them, sat a man.

"Mai, meet Hirota Akari. Akari, meet Akahana Mai.

* * *

 **AN:**

I'm terribly sorry for missing the update yesterday. I simply had absolutely no time for writing yesterday. I hope this chapter, which is my longest yet, will make (in part) up for that.

 _ **!Important!**_

Yes, I made Mai come to the conclusion that there never was any family at all in SPR, and that she was never _truly_ in love with Naru. Why? Well, firstly, Mai's love for Naru seemed too much like a crush for me. I know that I, myself, would never be able to write that, simply for the fact that it seems too... childish (for lack of a better word) to me. They are hunting ghosts, for cripes sake! Plus, this is a different Mai. If I didn't make her get over Naru, she would fall over the moment he comes back - and that's not how I want this to go. Naru and SPR have a lot to make up for in this fic. Additionally, if Mai falls over for him, they will never be equals in their relationship. In my opinion, if partners aren't equal, the relationship is doomed to crumble. So, there.

Yes, I took away SPR as Mai's family. Why? Because in this fic, they - more or less, concious or subconciously, intended or not - abandoned her. And that's not what a family does. Plus, I didn't want Mai to feel guilty about gaining a 'new family' - and I want to take away a bit of what made Mai _Mai_ to create the new Mai. Additionally, it will show SPR just how they messed up, and will allow for stronger feelings and realtions to grow - and quite a bit of plot.

 _ **Don't worry, all of those relationships will come back - stronger than before!  
A new SPR and a new Mai will come into existance!**_

 ** _Pairings!_**

As you may have noticed, in my reasoning I adressed Ma's and Naru's relationship. During the last couple of chapter, I asked which pairings you wanted to see - and it was either MaRu or or MaiLin. I decided to make this MaRu due to two reasons. First: Majority. The majority was for MaRu. Second: I never had a very good grasp of Lin, and I don't think I could convincingly write Lin and Mai as a pair. I don't want to ruin the fic because I can't convince the reader that they actually, truly love each other. I will, however, give them a (much) closer friendship, because I think they'd complement each other very well (and bc that is easier to make believable than romance)

 _While Mai x Naru is pretty much decided on, it is not set in stone. Depending on how the plot develops, I may not put them together, or there may be OC's first or something... I don't know if (and don't plan) that to happen, but just in case... you know._

* * *

 _ **As always, I would like to thank everybody who reviewed, followed or favourited this story!**_

 **melchormonica8** : Thanks! I am always glad to hear that. Also, thank you for pointing that out - hadn't noticed it yet. Guess the pairing question is answered? ^^

 **fabian1nina1** : Sorry... There won't be any Lin x Mai... But I will definitly give them a closer relationship!

 **Joys:** Unfortunately, it seems like the training will be in the next chapter... (*angry muttering in the background* I can never seem to get the pacing correctly... dang it). Glad you liked it though!

 **Nagisa Maeda:** Glad you enjoyed it. I agree, while Mai x Naru is generic, it is easier to make believable than Mai x Lin... I think the problem is simply that we never saw much from Lin, and that most of his interactions were with Naru. Up to the Urado case, he more or less just ignored everybody else... Ah well.

Until next time,  
One Autumn Leaf


	6. A new life, part 5: Qigong

**A new life, part 5**

Qigong

"Mai, meet Hirota Akari. Akari, meet Akahana Mai. From today until you complete your Qigong training, Akari is going to be your teacher, Mai. Make sure to listen to his explanations and follow his advice. Akari, make sure to instruct her well. Her ESP and PK are powerful and untrained, and threaten to tear her apart if she doesn't learn to control them soon. Any questions?"

Mai and Akari, who still sat with his back to them, shook their heads. Gen-san nodded and left, but not before throwing a "Have fun, kids!" over his shoulder.

Mai sighed. What was she supposed to do know? Her teacher, Akari, hadn't given her any instructions yet. He hadn't even turned around! She felt herself getting angry, and consciously calmed her temper. It wouldn't do her any good to snap at her teacher. She closed her eyes and breathed out a deep breath, allowing her frustration to seep out with it.

"I am impressed." Mai opened her eyes, startled, only to look in the eyes of her teacher. _When did he move? I didn't hear anything!_

"Here I thought you would lose your calm and snap at me, but I stand corrected, Mai-sama. You are already using one principle of Qigong: Breathing."

"Uhm, thank you?" _I can' tell if he's insulting me or not…_

"Now then, Mai-sama. Tell me, what do you already know about Qigong?"

"Nothing, Akari-sensei. I know that it will allow me to learn control over my PK and ESP, but that's pretty much it."

"Akari- _sensei_?!" Now it was Akari's turn to be confused and surprised.

"Yeah. You are my teacher after all. Therefore, Akari-sensei. And, would you please stop calling me Mai-sama? If you are my teacher, it means you are ranked higher than me." Mai smiled winningly at Akari.

Akari, on the other hand, was stunned. _Here I thought she would be another one of the 'I am an Akahana, show me respect' guys… While that is only proper for the clan head and the clan elder, the two teenagers_ seriously _don't deserve this. I suppose I can give her the benefit of the doubt – but I will reserve judgement until later._

Mai used the time Akari spent lost in thought, and inspected her teacher. _Hmm… He is quite tall, probably around 5'10" (178 cm), fits in the 'handsome' category, and has red hair, tied back in a short ponytail._ Mai giggled. _Probably where he got his name from. He is fit, his body obviously trained, though his muscles are quite lean –_

"Anyways, the name Qigong means 'working with life energy'."

Akari's voice snapped Mai out of her musings.

"Qi means 'life energy' or 'life force' and gong means 'working'. It has many different applications, those being exercise, health, philosophy, and martial arts training. Qigong has four base principles: movement, breathing, posture, and concentration.

"Qi courses through your body in the so called 'meridians'. The 'movement' has the primary use of allowing the energy to flow through your body in harmony, and smoothing out any blockades it may encounter. Certain psychic abilities, such as 'Energy medicine' (the ability to heal with one's own spiritual energy) uses this very principle as its base. That means that this psychic ability is not one that you are born with, but one that you can learn – which I greatly recommend, considering what your dreams allegedly do to you."

Mai could only nod when she remembered waking up from one of her visions, having acquired the injuries someone else suffered in her dreams.

"In fact, I am pretty sure that you are already using it unconsciously – after all, your injuries always fade quickly, if Genryuusai-san is to be believed."

Again, Mai nodded.

"While 'Movement' is directed inwards, 'Breathing' serves the purpose of absorbing the Qi that exists everywhere around you in the air into your body. Meaning, 'breathing' takes in Qi from your surroundings. That will be a very important part of the training for any psychic. Breathing allows you to replenish expelled and used energy, and can be used to raise your limits by expanding your Qi reserves."

"When I talked about psychics with Gen-san, he mentioned a threshold when using your powers. In the perspective of Qigong, that would mean using too much life force and not replenishing it, correct?"

"Yes."

"In that case, 'Breathing' allows for a safe usage of psychic powers?" Mai asked with wide eyes.

Akira chuckled. "That is correct. You are quite smart to grasp all of this theory so quickly, Mai. But let's move on, shall we?"

Mai smiled and nodded, her eyes shining with joy from being praised. _Take that Naru – despite what you always said, I am_ not _stupid! Just another thing you were wrong on!_

"The third principle is 'Posture'. Most Qigong exercises will be done while standing, in order to position the body between heaven and earth. When the body is completely straight, neither leaning forward nor backwards nor sideways, the muscles have to work the least amount to keep the body upright. Ergo, the muscles are as relaxed as they can get. Qigong practitioners believe that the meridians relax alongside the muscles. This will be especially important for you. When the meridians are relaxed, you will be able to control the energy flowing through it better than if they aren't. Any questions so far?"

Mai shook her head. "No, you are great at explaining, Akari-sensei."

Mai could see a small brush creeping up his neck. _Is he embarrassed by the title?_ Akari cleared his throat.

"Moving on. The last principle is the mental concentration of the practitioner. A key phrase in Chinese medicine is the sentence "Your energy is where your attention is". If you think about it, your attention throughout the day is usually on anything _but_ yourself. This lack of mental attention is what allows your powers to flow freely and uncontrolled. Qigong rectifies that, by making you consciously focusing on yourself and your energy. On that note, your training will be considered 'completed' when you are subconsciously regulating your energy constantly, even while asleep. That, however, is _definitely_ far in the future – it takes a lot of repetitions to get that far."

Mai nodded. She was a bit skeptical when Gen-san first told her to learn yoga or qigong, but now she was glad – just from Akari's explanations she could see that she would greatly benefit from it. She had to remember to thank Gen-san and Akari-sensei later.

"Good. These basic principles are aided with nine techniques, to achieve the three goals of Qigong: Equanimity, tranquility and stillness. What we will focus on is the goal of tranquility, which aims for an empty mind and high awareness. I heard that you are also pursuing complete control even over your emotions. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"In that case, you will be interested in the goal of equanimity, the goal of being more fluid and more relaxed. Being able to be relaxed in every situation is, after all, being in perfect control of yourself." With this, Akari gave Mai a small smile.

"Thank you, Aka-sensei!" That was Akari's only warning before Mai threw herself at him, enveloping him into a hug. "You are a great teacher, sensei!"

Again, Mai noticed that Akari was sporting a small blush.

"Ne, why are you blushing, Aka-sensei? Do you dislike the title of 'sensei' or are embarrassed by it or something?"

"No, no, it's nothing like that. I'm just – I guess you could say I'm not really used to praise."

"Eh? Why not? You are a great teacher, and I'm sure you are great at everything else too!"

Almost unperceptively, Akari's facial expression hardened. Normally you would easily miss it, but Mai, having spent so much time with Naru and Lin and attempting to read them, saw it easily. Instead of calling him out of it, though, Mai saved that information for later and filed it away, especially when she heard what he said next. He would tell her when he knew her better and trusted her enough, she was sure of it. Right now, they were barely more than strangers. Though, when Mai thought about it, the inhabitants of this compound seemed to have a strange ability to draw her in. First Gen-san, then Mia-chan, and now Aka-sensei… It was truly mysterious.

"Let's start with your training, shall we?

"Earlier, I told you about the goals and principles of Qigong. Besides that, there are nine techniques used to help achieve them: Intentional movement, Rhythmic breathing, Awareness, Visualization, Chanting/Sound, Softness, Solid Stance, Relaxation, Balance and Counterbalance.

"We will start by focusing on rhythmic breathing and awareness. For rhythmic breathing your breath becomes slow, deep, and coordinated with fluid movement. We will leave the last part out for now, though. For awareness you enter a calm and focused meditative state. These two techniques often go hand in hand, and make up a normal meditation.

"Sit down on the mats and assume the _San Pan_ or _Cross-Legged Position_. This is the easiest and most common of all meditation positions to assume when sitting on the floor: cross the legs so that the calves meet, with the heels placed under the opposite thighs. Close your eyes. Good.

"Now, inhale slowly, and visualize filling your stomach with air. When you do this, you automatically pull down the diaphragm by expanding your lower abdomen. The diaphragm is located in the solar plexus. Pulling it down allows the lungs to expand and fill up with air to their maximum capacity. Pause briefly before exhaling, and watch how your lower abdomen collapses within itself, releasing all the air. You don't _actually_ breathe into it, but it makes the visualization of it easier. Pause briefly before inhaling again. If you feel breathless while practicing this technique, it means that you are pushing yourself too hard.

"Repeat this training exercise for a few minutes before you fall into a natural rhythm. Breathe in slowly, pause, breathe out slowly, pause. Repeat. If you would time yourself, you would feel that your breathing is much slower than your normal breathing pattern. As you get better, your breathing will begin to slow down even more. Eventually, you will breathe two to four breaths per minute, instead of the twelve you are using right now.

"Do you have any questions?"

Mai shook her head.

"Alright, then let us begin."

Akari sat down in front of Mai, assuming the same position she had, and guided her through the exercise.

"Breathe in slowly, pause, breathe out slowly, pause. Focus your attention inwards, towards yourself. Breathe in, pause, breathe out, pause. Clear any errant thoughts from your mind. Breathe in. Breathe out.

"The meditation we are doing right now is called the 'No thought' meditation. Another name for it is 'Mindfulness'. It does not focus on any specific purpose, nor does it attempt to manipulate or exert control over any stimuli. In 'mindfulness', concentration precludes judgment: it involves mere non-judging awareness or acceptance of the experience as just a matter of being.

"In other words, stimuli from the outside are irrelevant. The practitioner focuses completely inwards. Right now you still have to concentrate on your breathing, meaning this isn't _truly_ 'mindfulness' yet, but when your breathing becomes subconscious, you will be able to access a state of 'mindfulness'. We will move on to the next stage when you are able to use this breathing techniques unconsciously, meaning in your sleep.

"When your breathing is habitually slow, you begin to gain control of normally involuntary body functions, such as heart beat, body temperature, and blood pressure. Control over these functions is called _biofeedback_. For a psychic, there is one more thing they gain control of: the flow of Qi, of their psychic powers, in their bodies. Mastering this technique is the first step to gain control of your powers, Mai."

During Akari's explanation, Mai had continued with her breathing technique. It was exhilarating: she could feel how her perception of the 'outside' was slipping away as her focus turned inwards, and the only thing anchoring her in the here and now was Akari-sensei's voice.

Instead of feeling the floor she was sitting on, or noticing the temperature outside, she noticed the feeling of a tightly coiled, almost overflowing power within her. The only thing seeming to hold it back was a bright light located on her left hand. _The ring!_ Mai thought with startling clarity. The thing constantly calming the chaos that was her PK – Mai was _sure_ about it, though she didn't know how – was the ring she was given upon her arrival. Mai smiled, Gen-san's voice once again floating through her mind, saying _"you are family. Any of us will help you to the best of our abilities, if we have the chance"_.

Then, Mai experienced the most interesting thing yet: her min split. Not in the way of _'oh no, she has a split personality'_ but in the way Mai suspected true multitasking was. One part of her mind focused on Aka-sensei's explanation, taking it all in and memorizing it. A smaller part focused on her breathing, making sure that it remained in the same rhythm and remained steady. Lastly, the largest part focused on exploring _herself_ , the newly discovered part of herself.

It looked at her power, coiled tightly, ready to be used; it looked at her chaotic PK, waiting to explode; it looked at her ESP, fluttering around her brain and her sensory organs, eager to help her. And it looked at her belly. The largest concentration of PK was located there, and it seemed to be the origin of her ESP. _I'll ask Aka-sensei about it later_ , Mai decided.

* * *

After 20 minutes, Akira called it quits.

"You did very well, Mai. I want you to practice this three times a day: in the morning with me, in the afternoon after eating lunch, and in the evening before going to sleep, alright?"

"Okay. Is it important whether I do it at the same time, or would it be alright if I vary it, for example when I go to sleep at different times?"

"It doesn't matter. While it is _possible_ that it may go over into your subconscious quicker if you always do it at the same time, ultimately it does not matter. We are finished with your lesson for today. The allocated time for qigong in your day right now is one hour, from 6 to seven, but the lessons will end earlier depending on your progress and the kind of lesson we did. For the breathing exercises, more than fifteen minutes in one go is unnecessary, so I'm letting you out earlier," Akari stated with a smile.

Mai grinned. _More free time for me!_

"However," Akari spoke again, "Gen-san left me your training schedule for the rest of the day and the foreseeable future." _Damn, rejoiced too early._

Akari handed Mai a sheet.

 _05 – 06 am: Running with Koizumi Genryuusai  
06 – 07 am: Qigong with Hirota Akari  
07 – 08 am: free time  
08 – 09 am: Breakfast  
09 – 10 am: free time  
10 – 12 pm: weapon testing with Koizumi Genryuusai  
12 – 02 pm: free time  
02 – 03 pm: lunch  
03 – 05 pm: weapon training with Koizumi Genryuusai  
05 – 06 pm: education with Koizumi Genryuusai, Muraoka Kagami and Tsukamoto Shisui  
06 – 07 pm: free time  
07 – 08 pm: dinner  
08 – 05 am: free time, though sleep is advised. _

Mai looked up at Akari, begging him to laugh and say 'it's just a joke!'.

"Are you serious?!" was what Mai finally managed to choke out.

"Yes, I am afraid that this is the truth, Mai."

"But this… this is completely planned through! I barely have free time! What the heck?"

"I'm sorry Mai, but there is nothing I can do about this." Akari didn't sound sorry enough, in Mai's opinion.

"Besides, Genryuusai-san knows what he does – he trained the majority of us, and yields impeccable results." Yep, not serious enough.

And if you look at it closely, then you can see that you will gain two more hours when you complete the weapon testing, so cheer up, Mai. Besides, I just gave you more free time – and you stand around doing nothing? Maybe you _do_ have too much time…"

"No, no, no, it's nothing like that, I'm going now, I swear, I just – "

"Do you even know where your room is? The mansion is pretty big, " Akari asked with a raised eyebrow.

Mai's resulting blush told him everything he needed to know.

"Come on, I'll bring you to your room." Akari turned without waiting to see if Mai would follow.

"Aka-sensei, wait for me!"

* * *

 **AN:**

Alright, this chapter is shorter than usual due to the amount of research I had to put in the Qigong part. If anyone practices it, and I got some facts wrong, I deeply apologize. I am glad to see that Mia was received so well!

* * *

 _ **As always, I would like to thank everybody who reviewed, followed or favourited this story!**_

 **melchormonica8:** That's exactly how I feel about Mia and what I plan to happen. Glad to hear that you enjoy my fanfiction that much!

 **Luca Moretti:** Glad to know that you agree with my reasoning, thanks for the compliment, and I plan to!

 **Joys:** Hope this is what you hoped for in her Qigong training for the beginning. Yes, Gen-san is an onmyouji, and it will certaianly be interesting to see Lin and MAi discussing things about it in the future! About Naru - I can sadly only begin to let him grow up when he returns and sees that not _everything_ remained as he left it. Can't wait to write that scene!As for Mia, that is exactly what I am aiming for: a sister figure that protects and guides Mai while looking out for her, who Mai trusts completly in return. The position of serving beneath Mai gives her a unique point of interacting with her, and gives the relationship a unique direction - though I do not plan on havin Mia's job influence their relationship. If anything, it will be stronger due to that. In the future, I plan for Mai to go on cases again, and eventually lead a team. Mia will be her relationship where she can be herself, and where she will be allowed to let loose from the horrors of the cases... her 'anchor' so to speak. Hope you enjoyed this chapter ^^

Until next time,  
One Autumn Leaf


	7. A new life, part 6: Weapon testing

**A new life, part 6**

Weapon testing and a budding friendship

After having spent her free time and breakfast chatting with Mia, Mai was currently getting ready for her 'weapon testing' with Gen-san. Only problem: what the hell was she supposed to wear?

Something elastic? Flexible? Armor? A track suit? Her usual clothing? What was she supposed to wear?

Ma scowled. _Should have asked Mia for advice when she was here earlier_ , Mai thought full of regret.

Sighing, Mai decided on simple black sweatpants coupled with a grey top. If the closes got torn or stained, it wouldn't be a huge loss, and there shouldn't be any injuries to her person – she was only supposed to test them, after all.

Mai sent a quick glance at the clock. 9:40 am. Enough time for a quick cup of tea until Gen-san came to pick her up.

 _I can't wait until I can finally find my way around here. Having to depend on everyone makes me feel like a child._ She tried to ignore the small voice in her head which insisted that she would probably manage to get lost for the next few months – she had no sense of direction, after all. Mai quickly silenced it, and refocused on her tea.

* * *

At 10 o'clock sharp a knock pulled Mai out of her tea-induced tranquility. She trudged over to the door and opened it to the smiling face of Gen-san.

"Hi, Mai-chan. Are you ready to test which weapon suits you?" Considering that he had called her 'Mai-chan' Gen-san was probably expecting her to be bothered by it.

 _Hah, not today Gen-san!_

"Yeah, I'm ready. Actually, I'm really pumped to find out which weapon suits me best!" And she was. A weapon, even if it wasn't one created by 'weapon creation' yet, was a means to defend herself – a possibility to gain control over the part of her life that dealt with ghosts and annoying humans. She would start gaining control over a second part of her life – first her own powers, now her ghost problem. Mai was ecstatic.

Gen-san looked surprised and startled for a moment. Mai relished in it, knowing that she was the cause of it, before watching as he recomposed himself in a matter of seconds. Finally, Gen-san chuckled.

"Well then, let's go Mai!"

* * *

After walking down several corridors (that Mai could _swear_ were an ever changing maze – Mai had no idea in which part of the mansion she was at any given point) they arrived in _another_ dojo.

 _How many dojos does this mansion have, anyway?_ Mai absentmindedly wondered.

This one was a bit different than the one she had been in before, though. The place was loaded with weapons. They were _everywhere_ – hanging on the walls, placed in glass cases, standing in wooden sculptures waiting to be used. But, none of them were more than one meter away from the wall – nothing obstructed the 'usability' of the dojo. Still, the weapons were seemingly _everywhere_ , and the sheer amount of them was mind boggling.

Bows – and arrows – of any length and kind, swords in every size and form – katana, kodaichi, bokken ( _wait, why was a wooden training sword here?_ ), chokuto, ninjato, nodaichi, tsurugu, wakizashi, Iaito… So she had an anime phase, sue her. She also saw a few western swords, such as a long sword or a broad sword, but she wasn't nearly as knowledgeable about them as she was about Japanese swords. There were also swords she had never seen before assembled in the room.

Mai spotted countless daggers and throwing knifes of all sizes scattered throughout the room, as well as multiple fans (what the hell were they for? Looking pretty while facing a ghost?) situated on the walls. To her surprise, locked away in glass cases, were all kinds of guns – handguns, machine pistols … She couldn't even name more than two of them!

Then, there were the weapons that confused her. They were clearly fashioned after the middle age weapons she once saw in a movie, but she couldn't for the life of her name them.

Surprisingly, Mai could spot various needles – probably meant to be thrown – and wooden sticks. _Wooden. Sticks._ What was she supposed to do with that? Play xylophone or the drum? The baseball bat she could see leaning on the wall in the corner made more sense than that. She didn't even _try_ to come up with a logical explanation for why _multiple brushes_ were showcased on one part of the wall.

Lastly, there were the different variations of whips she could see. Normal leather whips, whips with iron (or some other metal, Mai was just guessing here), whips with cutting edges, and – to her surprise – a whip fashioned after a chain. Actually, Mai amended, it looked like a chain with a handle. How she was supposed to fight with _any_ of this was beyond her.

Was she actually supposed to test each one? She prayed to any deity that would listen that that _wasn't_ the truth – she'd be stuck in this room until she was old and frail.

"Well then, Mai. Pick the weapons that call out to you. I don't mean the 'hearing a voice' kind of calling out – actually, if you do, please tell me immediately – but the 'I want to learn this' kind of calling out. You can pick as many as you want – we will go through them one at a time. Alright, go!"

Mai was mildly miffed at the insinuation that she could get in trouble with ghosts on a compound full of psychics and _exorcists_ and whatever the hell slayers were, but it faded quickly in light of her excitement.

* * *

After half an hour of careful evaluation and examination of each weapon, Mai returned to Genryuusai with her haul.

A bow (Genryuusai helped choose the correct size) with arrows, a katana, a pair of daggers and a couple of throwing knifes, finished with a whip (which Mai added while blushing heavily).

Gen-san nodded acceptingly at her choices.

"Alright. Good choices, these allow you to get to know several fighting styles and weapons to ensure you find the one perfect for you. We still have one and a half hours left, and we will spend it by testing out one of the weapons. Do you have any preference?"

Mai shook her head.

"Right, why don't we start with the katana, then? I myself am a sword master, meaning I will be able to instruct you and see if it's fit you."

Nodding Mai picked up the katana and fell into a position she had seen in an anime once – crouching slightly, one arm extended in front of her, with the sword hand extended straightly backwards. She hoped she wouldn't embarrass herself, but those anime must have gotten _something_ right, correct?

Her hopes were dashed when Gen-san erupted into laughter.

Not the controlled type of laughter she had seen on her first day here – was that only yesterday? It sure felt one _hell_ of a lot longer – but the uncontrollable, explosive kind. You know, the one when you see something so _ridiculous_ that you can't believe it's actually happening, and then when it settles in that this _is_ actually happening, you just can't hold yourself back or control yourself? Yeah, that kind of laughter.

" _Gen-san!"_ Mai whined, "stop laughing and show me how to do it correctly!" At this point, Mai was so red, that even a tomato wasn't an adequate comparison.

"Hahaha, sorry Mai, it's just – you actually – Ohmygod, you can't – you can't _do_ that, that's just – HAHAHAHA, that's so ridiculous!"

"Gen-san!"

"Hahaha, sorry Mai. I will calm down now."The moment he looked at her, however, he started snickering again.

"GEN-SAN!"

* * *

12 pm found Mai released from her suffering in hell. Genryuusai never _actually_ stopped snickering for more than ten minutes, but he sure had made her work hard – she didn't think she would be able to lift anything for quite a while. She also didn't want to spend any more time in Gen-san's presence while he was like that, and had run off as soon as she had the chance.

She was regretting that bitterly right now.

Had she just waited and endured for five more minutes, she wouldn't be in this predicament right now.

What happened, you wonder?

Well you see… Mai was lost. Again. Nothing new there, though. However this time, she managed to get lost inside a house. Her _own_ house. _Well, at least where I am living right 't think that ever happened before._

Mai sighed dejectedly. What the hell was she supposed to do now? She was staring at the strange door that had made her finally realize that she was completely and utterly lost. It was covered with strange scribblings, and the floor was actually lightened with candles, not lamps.

Where the hell am I and how did I get here? More importantly, how am I going to get back to my room? Preferably _before_ anybody catches me in front of this strange door?

Before she could settle on anything though, the door she had been staring at for who-knows-how-long suddenly opened.

Mai let loose a startled squeak, and prepared to apologize for a _long ass time_ , when the person that emerged spoke up.

"Mai? What are you doing here?"

"I'm terribly sorry, I didn't mean to –" _Wait a sec, I know that voice…_ Hesitatingly, Mai looked up. What she saw confirmed her thoughts.

"Aka-sensei!"

"Well? What are you doing here?" Many would have taken his tone of voice as completely calm, distant, and annoying – but Mai, having mastered the art of 'reading the emotions of stupid, emotionally repressed people' (more commonly referred to as Naru and Lin), easily picked up on the amusement that he tried to hide.

Mai poked her tongue out at him. "Well, who cares about me? What are _you_ doing here?"

A single eyebrow rose.

"You are standing in front of my room, Mai. I think it is supposed to be expected to meet me here, no?" Yep, he was _definitely_ amused. What are _you_ doing here, though?"

Mai blushed.

"That – That is kind of a _reeaalllyy_ long story. You see, I was just… eh…"

"You are lost." It was not a question, but Mai nodded anyway. This time, he didn't even bother to hide his amusement.

"Come on, I'll get you back to your room. I really am curious, though – just _how_ exactly did you manage to get lost on your way to your room?"

"It's complicated," Mai defended. Again, a single eyebrow rose.

"Complicated. Right. It should be basically _impossible_ t get lost on your way there – you go down the stairs, turn right once, and see the door on your left after a while of walking. It's not rocket science."

"Yeah, well, I don't have a good sense of direction," Mai pouted.

"Way to state the obvious," Akari replied. "Come on, I'll take you to your room."

Akari began leading her back to her room. Mai was preparing some kind of witty comment, when she looked at Akari's face. It was the first smile she saw him give her. The small smile from earlier in the day didn't count – it couldn't even compare to his smile right now.

"You have a beautiful smile, Aka-sensei." Mai stated with a smile of her own. Just like earlier that day, s small blush crept up his neck. Mai had a feeling that it wasn't related to romantic feelings, though. He didn't seem like the type – he was always so composed.

Then her thoughts turned back to his room. Located in the back, heavily warded, with no other rooms near him, his earlier comment of not being used to praise, how his face hardened almost imperceptibly – was Akari all alone without any friends? Why though? He was a really nice guy behind all his walls… Mai's eyebrows furrowed in thought. She was snapped out of her reverie by Akari's voice, though.

"What are you thinking about so hard?" Mai's frown intensified. There was true worry lacing his voice. Anybody who worried about her within a day of knowing her _couldn't_ be a bad guy.

"Ne, Aka-sensei – are you lonely?"

Akari made a full stop and turned around.

"Where did that come from?" He stared into her eyes.

"It's just – just a feeling a get. Your comment, your reaction, the location of her room, and –"

Akari cut her off.

"Don't worry about it."

"But, Aka-sensei, I –"

Akari softly tapped in between her furrowing eyebrows, in the middle of her forehead. Once again, he flashed that beautiful smile.

"Don't concern yourself with it. Due to certain events in the past, many are now wary of me. But that doesn't concern you. If you want a different teacher, I can understand – don't worry, I will tell Genryuusai-san – "

This time, it was Mai who interrupted Akari.

"You will tell Gen-san nothing! I don't know what happened, but I know that you are a great guy and an excellent teacher, and I wouldn't want anyone else! I am, however, going to be your friend – whether you like it or not! If you want me to hate you, give me a reason to! Otherwise, you will just have to accept that you are my friend now – my first make friend on the compound actually. And you cannot change that, so deal with it!" Mai knew that she was shouting at the end, but it didn't matter – she wouldn't judge someone on events that happened when she wasn't even here yet, and she had already decided that Akari would become her friend. If the volume helped him to get it into his brain, well, who was she to complain?

 _Nobody deserves to be lonely… It's the most horrible feeling in the world. It overshadows even the pain of loss – because loosing something meant you had it to begin with. I would know – I'm the poster child for both of it! I lost my first family to death, and my second (that wasn't ever even my) family left me all alone._ Nobody _deserves to feel that. Nobody. And I am not going to just sit by and watch when I see somebody else suffering!_

Suddenly, Mai felt herself being swept into a tight hug.

"Thank you… Thank you, you don't know how much this means to me, Mai," Akari whispered into her ear.

"I think I do, Aka-chan, I think I do…"

They stood like that for a while longer. Eventually, Akari released her, and took a step back.

"Here's your room."

"Thank you, Aka-chan." Mai smiled. If she had seen his puffy red eyes or the tear tracks on his face, or noticed the slight dampness on her shoulder, she didn't say anything.

"'Aka-chan'? What happened to Aka-sensei?"

"Well, we aren't currently in the dojo, are we? When you teach me something, you are Aka-sensei, and when we have free time, you are Aka-chan. Got any complains?" Her tone of voice and the expression on her face made it clear that she wouldn't hear anything, though.

"No, none at all. My friends are allowed to call me that." He winked at her, and Mai blushed slightly.

"Well then, I should get going. Don't forget to do your breathing exercises and the meditation later on, Mai!"

"I won't! See you tomorrow!"

The smile didn't leave Mai's face throughout the rest of her free time.

* * *

 **AN:**

Alright. This is shorter than usual, _again_ , and I apologize, but I was very busy today - I was scoping out universities.I hope this chapter was enjoyable. After returning home at 9pm and eating dinner, I noticed that I didn't even write a single word in this chapter yet - so I sat down and started writing. It is now 1 am. I apologize if there are any blaring mistakes, and hope that the interaction between Akari and Mai was written enjoyable and believable by my sleep-starved brain.

On that note, I will say that updates in the next week may fluctuate and **may not follow the regular update schedule** , or may be significantly shorter. If that should be the case, I apologize in advance. The reason for that is that I will have to write my college applications and start with my drivers license on top of the regular hobbies and appointements that I have. I am terribly sorry. Then again, nothing may change because I find the time to write - who knows.

 _You can always look at my profile to see the progress of a chapter - I update it after taking a break from writing the chapter_

* * *

 _ **As always, I would like to thank everybody who reviewed, followed or favourited this story!**_

 **sifaunnad:** Glad you enjoyed and it makes me happy to hear that! I agree, the most horrible thing to happen to a story is for it to not be researched properly - it is annoying for both reader and author and easily avoidable. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

melchormonica8: Yeah, Akari easily blushes. I hope this chapter answered your question at least partly - right now, I don't know if and who the rival(s) of Naru is going to be, therefore nothing is decided yet. What Akari needs right now is a friend first and foremost, and he found that in Mai (though I'm still keeping _why_ a secret). Who knows how it is going to develop from there on? Once he expands his circle of friends, anything is possible - Mai is a lovely girl, after all. He is 2 years older than Mai.

 **joys:** You are spot on about education. The only additional thing she will ahve to do is learning about the clan's inner workings, which involves the vassal clans. That way, I don't have to explain everything inbetween a scene in a chapter or have to create situations for it, but can use the education as an easy way out. Besides, I stupid and clueless Mai won't do - oblivious, in certain sitations, maybe, but not while hunting! And yes, it is there for a reason - though Mai will naturally discover it as she goes. Glad you liked Akari! I am always nervous about my OCs ^^'

 **Damaged Forest Spirit:** It makes me really happy to read that! Hope this was an acceptable time to wait for more! ^^

 _ **Big shoutout to Joys and melchormonica8 for always reviewing - you never fail to bring a smile to my lips and motivate me to write more. Thanks!**_

Until next time,  
One Autumn Leaf


	8. A new life, part 7: Events from the Past

**A new life, part 7**

Education and events from the past

After eating lunch and doing her breathing exercise, Mai was – once again – picked up by Gen-san. This time, however, he wasn't laughing – and Mai thanked every deity that she knew for that. It didn't stop Mai from looking forward to the lesson with trepidation – everything still ached from earlier, and that was only weapon _testing_! What the hell would he do in weapon _training_? Mai really didn't look forward to it.

* * *

"Alright, here we are."

Mai looked around. She was expecting a dojo or something since she had assumed that they would be training her swordsmanship, but instead, they were standing in a gym. A very big gym, with a lot of equipment she couldn't name.

"What are we doing here, Gen-san?"

"I noticed it earlier today during the weapon testing, but you seriously don't have any muscles." Mai could feel her irritation growing, and was just about to open her mouth, when Genryuusai held a hand up.

"Wait. Let me finish first. Learning how to use a weapon, and doing so efficiently, requires quite a bit of endurance and muscle strength – no matter the weapon. You don't have it, or at least not enough. That is why we will be working on this for the time being – strengthening your body. For the next week, it will be pure muscle training, and after that, we will combine it with learning the basic stances for your weapons. We will spend the next month drilling those basic forms into your body so that you will never forget how to do them correctly and have a stable base. Any questions?"

Mai shook her head.

"Good. There are undoubtly a few weapons we will sort out during the weapon testing, but I want at least two to remain. Now then, we will start with basic muscle strengthening. Your focus today will be on your legs. Look to your left side – everything you see there strengthens one (or multiple) part(s) of your body. You may choose any of them. The ones in the front, near you, are the ones meant for warming up – please do one of them for at least 15 minutes before you do anything else. Questions?"

Again, Mai shook her head. This time, however, it was accompanied by a sigh.

"Alright. Mai-chan, start!"

* * *

Mai spent the next 30 minutes on the treadmill before Gen-san told (forced) her to choose something else. During the course of the next hour, she ended up on the leg extension machine, the leg curl machine, and the leg press machine. The last fifteen minutes were spent on the hack squat machine before Gen-san released her from her personal hell.

Mai collapsed on the ground with a groan, greedily drinking water from a bottle Genryuusai gave her.

"Alright ~. Because I am _such_ a nice person, we will end this 10 minutes earlier, and walk over to your classroom," Gen-san said in a way too cheerful tone in Mai's opinion.

Her legs hurt like hell. She doubted she could ever stand on them again, forget walking to her 'classroom'. Mai didn't even want to move. Therefore, she did the only logical thing she could think of.

"No."

Apparently, that wasn't what Gen-san expected. He looked at her with a shocked expression, before raising one eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"No. I am not moving. You can't make me." If Mai hadn't been so tired, that would have surely sounded more like a challenge. Right now it just sounded like Mai was ready to keel over.

And if Mai wouldn't have been so tired, she would have noticed how Genryuusai's expression gentled, before he lay his hand on top of her head and lifted her in his arms. The next thing she knew was that she sat in a library, situated in an armchair, feeling oddly refreshed.

* * *

Mai blinked a few times, becoming aware of Gen-san sitting opposite of her on a sofa. He looked at her with an amused expression.

"Are you awake now, sleeping beauty? Welcome to your first education lesson. This is where you will be learning several things every day, in multiple aspects. From school and university subjects to language lessons to lessons about the paranormal and supernatural to manners and information about the inner workings of the clan and anything else you and your teachers can think of."

Mai stretched and sat up straight. She didn't know _why_ she felt this rested, but now wasn't the time to think about that. This was way more interesting.

"My teacher _s_? Plural?"

"Yes. You will be taught by Muraoka Kagami, Tsukamoto Shisui, and myself. The structure of those lessons will differ with the topic and teacher, but today it is a Q/A style – you ask a question, I answer it to the best of my abilities. Now then, I will give you a few minutes to think about what you want to ask. Before that, however, I have something I want to give to you."

Genryuusai pointed to the coffee table situated between them, where four black books where situated. Mai picked one up, and upon closer inspection noticed that it was actually a blank notebook. She turned a questioning look to Gen-san.

"These are a blank notebook, diary, sketchbook, and musical paper respectively. The way to utilize the notebook is obvious: any questions that may occur to you throughout the day can be written down to be asked later, and any information you may find important and interesting can be noted to ensure that you won't forget them."

Mai nodded and thought back to when she first arrived. Was that really only yesterday? She had wanted to write something down to ensure that she wouldn't forget it… _Meh, I'll think about it later._

"Now, the diary, sketchbook and musical paper have more or less the same use: I want you to use them to organize and clear your thoughts. In the diary you can do this in written form, while the sketchbook and musical paper allow for a creative outlet: painting and composing.

"During your training and your whole life, you will undoubtly encounter many situations that will conflict you or that you don't know how to deal with. In fact, your past should be part of that. You told me that you wanted to learn control. Well, in order to control something, you need to understand it first – and for that, you will need to confront it.

"In your case, what you need to confront are your emotions. This will be a safe outlet for you, which I think is worth a shot. Combined with that, you have meditation and exercise to help you reflect, cope, and get over any negative feelings and attachment you may still have to your past.

"I want you to test it out – even if it may not be your cup of tea, it will help you to find the best coping mechanism with all the methods you can choose from, which will be beneficial for the future. Especially if you intend to continue to hunt ghosts. With your abilities, you will undoubtly see things you'd rather not see and that nobody _should_ ever see – a prime example being the Urado case. If I am correct, that case and your vision from it is still bothering you, correct?" Seeing Mai nod slowly, he continued.

"In that case, it is important that you learn how to cope with your visions. Running away from them is not an option, and you are not the kind of person to do that. The current alternative, being slowly destroyed by it, isn't an option either, however. Therefore, I'd like you to try out the methods, and test if one helps you. Write a book about it, write a song about it, create a painting of it – it doesn't matter. Alright?"

"Alright," Mai hesitantly agreed. If Gen-san heard how her voice cracked, he said nothing about it.

Truthfully, Mai did _not_ want to remember that case and that particular vision – but she had sworn that she would not run away, that the ghosts and her powers were not controlling her, but that she was controlling them. And Gen-san was right – she needed to learn how to cope with her visions.

"Great!" Gen-san smiled at her. "If you want to do more for your song than simply creating the lyrics or vocals, then you can ask Mia. She is a talented pianist and violinist and knows a bit about the guitar. She can bring you to the music room."

 _This mansion has a music room?_ Mai shook her head and sighed. _Why am I even surprised? There seems to be nothing this mansion_ doesn't _have… Though it_ is _awfully quiet here. It was probably designed for more persons. Didn't he say something about a massacre or something?_ Mai's eyes were drawn to Gen-san's brooch. _That's right… I never got a complete answer about that._

"Soo… you said that this is Q/A based, right?"

"Yep. Do you already have a question? I thought you would need slightly longer. Come on, fire away,"

"Alright, so you said yesterday that there are multiple accessories for the various ranks. In that case, how many ranks are there, what accessories do they have, how do you advance… Stuff like that?" Mai asked a bit awkwardly, but Genryuusai smiled reassuringly.´

"There are a total of six ranks: Affiliated, Exorcist, Slayer, Heir/Heiress Candidate, Heir/Heiress, and Clan Head. It is probably obvious, but the last two ranks can only be acquired by one person at a time. In the vassal clans, these are simple positions without an accessory, but for Akahana clan members, they come complete with ring. I'll show you a picture of it at a later time.

"For the first three ranks, there are differences between men and women. Women get rings, men get brooches. Though, to be fair, for the affiliation rank men simply have a different ring and not a brooch. The ring you wear on your finger is the affiliation ring for women. Once you have completed your current training and completed a few other steps, you will be recognized as an exorcist, and you will receive a different ring. A few further completed training regimen in another place, and you get recognized as a Slayer."

"A different place?"

"Yeah, you will have to go to the ISA headquarters to receive it, though I guess you could be trained here as well – you _are_ an Akahana, after all."

"ISA? What are you talking about?" Gen-san sighed.

"I won't tell you much, I will only give you basic information. Otherwise, it will take too long. And, frankly, right now this is still useless information for you. I will tell you more once you are safely on your way to complete your exorcist training.

"ISA – also known as the _International Slayer Association_ is the highest authority in the paranormal field. As the name implies, it is made up completely from Slayers, which they sent in different countries to try and control the threat demons and other creatures pose, while normal 'ghost hunters' take care of the ghosties. They aren't well known anymore, however. When an extermination went wrong, the families of the team who botched it where exterminated.

"Many powerful families were slain back in the day. The only family that survived were the Akahana. They were the most powerful family back then, and even then only five barely survived. Two with their own powers, two by being in the womb, and one… well, frankly, you are a mystery. We think your father protected you, but we don't actually know."

"My… father?" Mai looked at him confused. Then, it clicked.

"My father?! My father was a part of the Akahana clan?!"

"Yes, he was. He had left prior to getting to know your mother, however. We didn't know he had a child. Now, Mai, would you mind releasing your hold?"

Confused, Mai looked down. Somehow, at some point, she had gotten up and now stood beside Gen-san, who was still sitting on the sofa. She also held his hand in a vice-like grip. Mai winced. She was sure that that would bruise tomorrow. Still, she couldn't really bring herself to care. This person had information about his father, goddamnit, and she was going to get them – no matter what she had to do.

Granted, she barely remembered her father, given that she was only five when he died, but she remembered the events directly after that so clearly.

* * *

 _The police officer stood in front of her in the opened door. He was tall, imposing, and frightening, with that scary look on his face. No matter how often her mother had told her that the police officers were her friends in the past, right now she couldn't bring herself to believer her. Mai wished she had never opened the door._

 _Then, the officer spoke, and she felt so much worse – a feeling of dread, of wrongness, of fear settled in her stomach, and she knew with a startling clarity that she didn't want to know what this man had to tell her. All she wanted was to slam the door right into his face, run upstairs, hide in her bed, and pretend that she had never seen him, never encountered him._

 _Pretend that her father was there, was_ home _, and not wherever else he was right now. She wanted her daddy._

 _But she couldn't do that. Her mom and dad raised her right – and her father would definitely scold her if she did that. He was always a stickler for manners, after all._

 _Therefore, Mai swallowed down her emotions, and answered the police officer._

" _Hi, my name is Mai." The officer smiled and crouched down, so that he was on eyelevel with her._

" _Mai-chan, huh? Cute name, darling. So, how are you doing today?"_

 _And all Mai wanted to do was scream at the officer, because didn't he know that she was feeling a fear so intense in her gut that it was higher than the one time she accidentally watched a part of one of her father's movies when she was supposed to sleep? Didn't he know that it has been days since her mother last laughed, even though she tried to cover it up when she was around? Didn't he know that it has been_ days _since her daddy had been home, and that he had neglected to call them or answer his phone when Mai called him? Didn't he know that her daddy_ never _missed her call, and was_ always _back in time for dinner, no matter what had happened? Didn't he know how_ wrong _everything was?_

 _But, like a good girl, she politely answered the officer and smiled at him – when daddy came back home, he would surely smile at her and praise her, and maybe she'd even get a treat for being so brave._

" _I'm doing great! I made a new friend yesterday, and the flower mommy and I planted has finally bloomed! Great, right? But I'm missing my daddy. You don't know where he is, do you?"_

 _And then, Mai saw how the officer's face contorted. He still smiled, but there was something in those eyes… Suddenly, the panic and fear she had swallowed down earlier were back. But this time, it was a hundred times stronger. That feeling of dread almost overwhelmed her, and Mai felt sick. Because, while the police officer still smiled, his eyes held such a pain, such sadness, that Mai knew, without a shadow of doubt: her father wasn't coming back._

 _And somehow, she knew that he would never be back again._

 _Her lip quivered, and tears began to pool in her eyes. She wanted her daddy! Where was her daddy? She needed her daddy, and she needed him to know! Soon, sniffles began to join the quivering lips._

" _Hey, hey, sweetie, calm down, everything's alright," the officer tried to calm her._

 _But it only served to infuriate her._

 _She felt the anger bubble up inside of her. She could push it back, ignore it, lock it in the recess of her mind like her daddy told her to, like a good girl would. But then again, daddy_ wasn't. Here _. That was the whole problem, wasn't it?_

You should honor his wishes _, a small voice in the back of her mind piped up._ If he isn't coming back, then that was his last wish – we should listen and follow it. _Shut up, shut up, shut up! But then, a louder voice piped up, overruling the quiet one:_ But if we don't listen, maybe daddy will come back? He would have to scold us, after all, and he would have to be here for that, right? Even if he would only scold us, he would be HERE. And that is all that we want, right? _Right. When I get angry, daddy would have to be here to scold me – I could see him once again._

 _And so, Mai allowed the anger to bubble up, to come for the forefront of her mind. She fed it, because Mai_ wanted _to get angry. Then, her father would come to scold her, and everything would be okay once again. She would hug him, and never let him go, and even if he left again to wherever he was, at least he would take her with him. Then, she could call her mum, and they would all be together again – and nobody would be lonely. Not daddy, not mommy, not Mai._

 _But most importantly, the anger would numb her. It would numb her pain, her sadness, her fear, her dread, her panic, her despair, and consume it. She wouldn't feel it again – the anger would protect her. It was her friend._

 _And so, Mai allowed herself to become angry, and didn't even try to control it. She blew up at the police officer. She wasn't even aware of what she said – "What right do you have?" "How dare you are here when he isn't!" "Where is my daddy?" "Give him back to me, bring him back!" "You asshole, how dare you!" "Who do you think you are?!" – and at some point, Mai thought she didn't even say anything coherent anymore. She distantly noticed her mother arriving, and worriedly asking "What is happening?", but even that was of no importance to Mai. The only thing important was her anger – it protected her – and its target, the police officer._

 _Then, her mother somehow hugged her and ushered the officer and Mai into the living room. After fruitlessly trying to soothe Mai, she listened to what the police officer said – nothing of it really mattered to Mai, and the memory was almost forgotten._

 _She did remember, however, how her mother's hug tightened until it almost hurt. How her tears soaked Mai's hair and shirt. How her mother softly cried, all the while still trying to soothe Mai. How she hugged Mai for dear life, as if her hug itself had the power to say 'I'll always be here with you'. How her mother began to shake._

 _And then, Mai stopped. She stopped being angry, and took in the form of her mother: shaking, crying, sniffling, hugging her, looking as if she was in great pain, and clawing at her chest with her free hand, as if it hurt and was breaking._

 _Mai realized that she wasn't the only one suffering, and that she hadn't had the worst of it._

Of course, _the little voice in her mind piped up again,_ she has known him longer than you did – it's only natural that she would suffer more!

 _A memory popped up in her mind._

 _Her father, standing in the door, leaving for work. Hugging her mother, giving her a kiss, before kneeling down to her level. 'Okay, my smart, brave little girl – daddy must leave for work now. Listen to your mother and be a good girl for me, alright? Follow the rules, help Mommy in the household, and be there for here, okay? You know that she has been a little sickly yesterday, so make sure that she is alright. Take care of your mother for me, darling.' Then, he kissed her forehead. 'Have fun you two!'_

That's right – his last wish was to take care of mommy and have fun!

 _Mai's little five year old mind came to a simple conclusion._ Mommy is happy when I am happy, and daddy wanted me to have fun and take care of her, so I'm going to do both!

 _With that determination, Mai smiled up at her mother with her biggest, most sincere smile that she had._

" _Mommy, mommy, look! It's going to be alright. I'm here, and I'm going to take care of you, just like daddy wanted. It's alright if you can't smile right now and are sad, because I am going to smile enough and have enough fun for the both of us!" Then, she wrapped her little arms around her mother, holding her as she shook and cried._

 _The harder her mom cried, the stronger Mai hugged her mother – the little girl felt as if her mommy would fall apart if she didn't keep her together._

 _Mai politely said goodbye to the officer and told him to write everything down he still needed to tell them, before asking if he could find the door on his own._

 _For hours, Mai sat and simply held her mother, until her breathing finally calmed, her sobs long since stilled, and her mother fell into dreamland. She stood up, grabbed the blanket from the other end of the couch, and draped it about her mother, like she had seen her father do._

 _Daddy…_

 _Again, Mai's eyes filled with tears, and her heart felt as if it was torn apart by her pain at the thought of her father who wasn't there. Who would never be there again._

 _But Mai refused to let any of her tears fall, just like she refused to let the pain tear apart her heart. She refused to let any other emotion apart from happiness and joy fill her heart._

' _Until mom can be happy again, I will be it for the both of us – and that means no tears, and no pain in the heart.'_

 _Mai turned to the window in the living room, looking up at the sky. She couldn't see the stars – her father had once explained her why, but she forgot – and made a promise to the moon, where she imagined the entrance to heaven was at night._

' _Just you wait, daddy. I am going to be a brave, smart, and good girl. I will follow the rules, and listen to mom, and take care of her. I am going to be happy, and I am going to make mom happy too. Just you wait.'_

* * *

Tears trailed down Mai's face as she remembered the past. She had held true to that motto her whole life, in every hard situation.

Naru had once oh so accurately described it as 'Mai's cycle of emotions' or something like that.

Sadness/Fear being replaced by Anger being replaced by happiness.

It was how she got by, how she managed to cope with the early loss of both of her parents. The cycle had never failed her, that had gotten her through every hard time in her life.

But, up until now, she had always been alone with that cycle.

Sure, her mother had a first class seat and could see it happening, but she was too absorbed in her own sadness to look through her façade at first, and when she was functioning again, Mai had already mastered the cycle and successfully completed it. Being the little kid she was, her pain didn't stay long in the sadness phase anyway – there were too many interesting things for her mind to discover.

The next one to uncover her cycle was Naru, the ever observing scientist. But he hadn't attempted to break her out of it and help her through it, he had simply spurned on the speed of it – and distracted her with his 'pet'.

The next one was Genryuusai. Instead of missing it like her mother, or observing it and finding it interesting only to spurn it on like Naru, Genryuusai pulled her into a hug and let her cry into his shirt.

"Shh. Let it out. Don't keep it in, don't push it aside, let it out. You need to cope with the pain in order to truly heal. Shh. Everything is alright. Shh." He continued on in that vein, while slowly rocking her, muttering soothing nonsense in her ear.

Mai didn't know how much time had passed when she finally calmed down and her tears stopped flowing, but she noticed that she felt better. Not in the I-pushed-the-pain-aside-and-ignored-it-until-it-got-better way but in the a-stone-lifted-from-my-heart-and-I-feel-like-I-can-breathe-again way. She voiced that much to Gen-san.

He just laughed, and told her that previously, she simply pushed the pain aside and refused to acknowledge it, and that she therefore never truly dealt with it, never truly let it out. Apparently, that was exactly what she did today.

 _Somehow,_ Mai mused, _it is a weird feeling. Knowing that all this time, when everybody congratulated me on my ability to rebound, I was actually doing it wrong. I kinda feel like a cheater…_

"It's not a bad thing, you know?" Gen-san interrupted her thoughts like he knew what she was thinking about. _Knowing him, he probably does…_

"What do you mean?"

"It is a useful and powerful ability. It allows you to keep your head in the game, stay in control, and cope with virtually everything. It basically allows you to stay alive if there is a danger at the moment, and focus on your emotions at a different time, when it is more fitting. It is a very rare ability, and a good one to have. You simply can't forget to actually address your emotions later on, at a suitable moment, alright?"

Mai nodded mutely.

"Alright then, do you want to hear more about this story and your father right now, or would you rather do that at some other time? Anytime you want me to tell you something, I will do it, so don't worry about that. The deciding factor should be your psyche, your emotions, and whether you are ready right now or not. It is your decision."

Mai thought about it for a good five minutes, before coming to a conclusion.

"No, let's do that tomorrow or some other time. I'm going back to my room, and test out the new coping methods," she said while holding up her four new little books.

"Alright, alright. Good decision. But, Mai-chan… do you know the way back to your room?" Genryuusai laughed, and Mai groaned.

"Do you think you could – _please_ – bring me back?" Mai kept her eyes closed while replying, thinking quietly to herself _I am getting myself a floorplan from Mia when she brings me dinner… Even if it has only been two days, there is_ no way _I'm going to keep getting lost in my own home! And there is no way I'll allow Gen-san to keep laughing about it! I'll show you!_

Still snickering a bit, Gen-san did a deep bow, and in a mocking town said: "If you would please follow me, milady", before walking out of the door.

Mai couldn't help it, she burst into laughter.

* * *

 **AN:**

Alright. So, first off, I have absolutely no clue what happened with this chapter.  
1) Mai was only supposed to have a notebook and a diary. Then, because I myself _love_ singing, I decided she could maybe compose a few songs to help her deal with her emotions. Then, I felt like I was leaving the arts out - so she got a sketchbook. Then, only writing lyrics wouldn't make a song, so Mia became a talented musician... Well, it fits anyway, I think.  
2) Then, the whole flashback to her father's death? So absolutely not planned. For a fact, the whole thing with her father was supposed to come into play _way_ later - and so, a part of ISA was already uncovered. Meh. Am I the only one whose story get a mind of their own and want to be written a certain way, or does that happen to everyone? Anyway, in order to make sure that I don't have to reconstruct my (very vague, as of now) timeline, I'll probably make Mai decide that she isn't ready yet... Or what do you guys think?

Then, I again apologize for any mistakes/awkward phrasing/... it is now 02.34 am, I am still typing this, and I'm pretty sure my brain has long since shut down. Meh. But I wanted to get this chapter out tonight. While I _did_ say that updates could slow down, I simply didn't want to wait for tomorrow when the chapter was practically complete... until the _'daddy'_ scene happened (*grumbling in the background*)

Anyway!  
I have good and bad news for you guys.  
Good news: I have already written the chapter when Naru and the gang meet Mai and the chapter leading up to it, as well as a... certain chapter that is somewhere in the close future.  
Bad news: my mind can't stop thinking about that timeline (as well as a new story idea with gene, but I'm completly ignoring and disregarding that one) and I have to force it to stay in the _here and now_ , so to speak. That may slow updates down even further - and I apologize.

So, with that said and done, hope you enjoyed this chapter! With 4585 words it is longer than the usual chapter, but considering that the previous 2 were short and you aremissing yesterdays, this one is a good make up.

Oh, almost forgot it - linked the accessories in my profile. Since I can't write descriptions for the hell of it, don't like writing them either, and since the saying _a picture is worth a thousand words_ is true, here you go, links to pictures. Their descriptions won't come up in future chapters - when I write something like _"Blah blah blah identifies her/him as a bli bla blup"_ I assume you know what I'm talking about.

* * *

 _ **As always, I would like to thank everybody who reviewed, followed or favorited this story! Reviews feed my inspiration and motivation, guys - I'm always very thankful when you take your time to review!  
**_

 **Nagisa Maeda:** He is, isn't he ^^ Yeah, I was thinking about bow and katana, but you are right - she _is_ kinda small. Completely disregarded that. Now I need to do more research to fgure out if a tanto is simply a shorter katana, or if I can reasonably justify shortening her katana. Glad for pointing that out! (Btw, no clue where my fixation on katana comes from - I blame various anime, but whatever ;) ) Glad to hear that my chapter can put someone in a good mood, and I am glad to hear that it helped with stress! (Though this one probably didn't thanks to the angsting... ugh). Also, your kind reviews always give me motivation & inspiration, so it kind of makes us equal, no? ^^

 **melchormonica8:** Glad to hear that, and thank you for your understanding! Though all I need to do right now is type up the application (that's a bit different from the english speaking countries, no?) it's still daunting, and I kinda don't want to sit at the laptop afterwards to write even more.

 **Damaged Forest Spirit:** Haha, it makes me _so_ happy when I read reviews like yours! ^^ Glad to hear that you loved the chapter & are happy to have found this story! It makes me happy every time I hear that soembody enjoyed it. Thanks!

 **dragongarcia:** Glad to hear that! Hope you enjoyed this one as well!

Until next time,  
One Autumn Leaf

Edited: 26.09.2018


	9. Coping, part 1: Songwriting

**Coping, part 1**

Songwriting

Mai sat on the couch in her living room, her eyes glancing over the notebooks. _Coping, huh. Well, I did promise Gen-san that I'd try it._

Her eyes swept over them again.

 _So, which do I choose? Art? Literature? Music?_ Mai sighed. _I'm not particularly skilled in any of it… Let's see, art is completely out, until I can draw more than a squiggly line. That leaves literature and music._ Mai's thoughts wandered back to when she used to listen to songs every time she felt sad. They never failed to cheer her up. _So, music it is, then._

She picked up the sleek notebook with the musical paper, and proceeded to stare at it.

 _But how do I even start? What do I do? Songs usually have, like, five different instruments playing in them. That's already out, I can't do that. Hmm, but I_ can _write the vocals._

Mai picked up a pencil, and wrote VOCALS on the top of the musical sheet.

 _Alright, so, how do I do this? Pick a note and start from that? Alright, let's take… c, g, f, b, a… Put them in that order, and…_

Mai sighed and put the pencil down.

 _This SO isn't working. I love_ listening _to songs, but how the hell do I even proceed to_ write _one? I don't know the first things about songs to begin with!_

Never one to give up, though, Mai proceeded to scribble down random notes. Who knows, maybe something good will actually come out of it.

* * *

Her fruitless endeavor was put to a stop by a knock on the door. Disoriented, Mai raised her eyes from the random lines of text in front of her, and looked at the door.

"Yes?"

"Mai-sama, it is Mia. May I come in?"

"Of course! You don't even need to ask Mia, you are always welcome here!" Mai looked at Mia as she opened the door and entered the room, glad for the distraction from her pitiful attempt at composing.

"So, what brings you here?" Mai didn't know what time it was, but considering the fact that Mia didn't bring any tableware or food, she assumed that it wasn't to bring her her dinner.

"It is dinner time. Do you want to eat up here or in the dining hall with the rest of the Akahana family?" Mai just stared at her blankly.

"Dining hall?"

"Yes, the Akahana family usually eats in the dining hall to recap the day, stay in touch… Like any family, really. However, it is completely voluntary, and if someone doesn't want to or can't because he or she is too busy or wants to rest or something, they can eat up in their rooms." Mai blinked once, a little stunned.

"Huh, never knew that…" At this, Mia smiled wryly.

"Well, you _did_ only arrive yesterday. It was decided that in order to allow you to settle in the best way possible, giving you an evening to yourself would be necessary."

"Then, I am now expected to make an appearance…?" Mai trailed off, not really knowing how she should complete her sentence. After all, though she certainly wasn't a recluse, this evening – actually, the whole day – had been extremely stressful and taxing on her psyche. She didn't know if she felt up to it right now.

"Oh no, not at all. You are free to go whenever to want to or can stay away for as long as you want. They understand that you have a busy schedule, and that you may not want to join them at all. It was simply decided to inform you of it – so that you can make your decision." All of this was stated in a 'business-like' voice, and Mai realized with a start that the Mia she knew and the Mia everyone else saw – the working maid – were completely different persons.

"In that case, I want to eat up here today – I had a bit of a… stressful day."

"Understood! Then, I'll be back with your dinner in ten minutes." With that, Mia winked and left the room.

 _Dinner with the 'family' huh… Don't think I want to join in on that anytime soon – I'm quite comfortable eating in here instead of with strangers. Well then, back to the task at hand…_ _What would be a good line…_

" _Said goodbye, turned around  
And you were gone, gone, gone."_

 _That's not so bad, actually… What else? Hmm…_

" _The police officer on my doorstep  
Telling me the news of your passing.  
Those horrendous news  
That destroyed everything."_

 _Hmm… probably useable…_

Any further musings were interrupted by the reappearance of Mia, this time with a tray full of food.

"Here I am, Mai-sama. I'll put the food on the kitchen table, if that is all right with you?"

"Yeah, that'd be perfect, Mia."

"Well then, come eat! Today the cooks truly outdid themselves." Mia sauntered over to where Mai was sitting when she didn't respond and was scribbling in her notebook.

"What are you working on?" She asked, while reading over Mai's shoulder. "Are those lyrics?"

"Ehm, yeah. Gen-san told me that I could probably use it as a means to cope, along with writing and drawing." Mai squirmed a bit, uncomfortable with someone – even Mia – reading something that she could only categorize as trash.

"Hmm… this is pretty good, actually. You certainly have the talent." Mia was critically flipping the pages filled with notes.

"Eh? Are you serious? I thought it was pretty shitty, actually…"

"Hmm, yeah, a lot of it certainly isn't usable… What's up with _"Studying three languages – and failing at every single one"_? In what kind of song where you trying to use that? And what about _"aren't we all missing cookies?"_ were you hungry?" Mia sounded amused, while Mai was thoroughly embarrassed.

"Give that back if you are just making fun of it!" She grabbed fruitlessly at the notebook. "I didn't really have a clue about what I was supposed to do, so I just brainstormed and wrote down whatever…" Mai murmured the last part.

"I see… That explains it. But apart from that, there are a few very good lines in here. Considering that you are supposed to be coping, I think we should focus on the sad lines, or the ones with longing, you know – to create a sad song, allowing you to work through your emotions. How about this – you eat your dinner before it gets cold, while I pick out the good lines?" Mai nodded gratefully.

"That would be perfect, thank you Mia."

"No problem, Mai. That's what friends are there for, no?"

Mai smiled – _a true smile_ , Mia noted happily – and nodded, barely keeping back her tears.

"Yeah."

* * *

Once Mai had eaten her food, she joined Mia on the couch.

"Alright, here is what I found. There are quite a few gems here, actually – not enough to create a song yet, but certainly enough to give you a direction. I sorted it in what I consider fragments that would go well together, what could be the chorus, and feeling. With that I mean, what fits into one song, and what would probably be better in another one. Alright, let's start.

"These are the fragments for the 'first song':

" _Said goodbye, turned around  
And you were gone, gone, gone  
Faded into the setting sun,  
Slipped away."_

" _Sometimes I feel my heart is breaking  
But I stay strong and I hold on 'cause I know  
I will see you again."_

" _I will carry you with me, oh  
'Till I see you again"_

"It's already pretty good… I'd say about halfway complete. You can worry about the melody and change a few things to fit the rhythm better once you have a rough outline about the lyrics. Alright, on to the 'second song':

" _Oh I'm in pieces, it's tearing me up."_

" _When I fell down you'd be there holding me up  
Spread your wings as you go!"_

" _I hope that I see the world as you did."_

"As you can see, it is a lot less complete than the first 'song' so I think that is the one that you should focus on first, alright?" Mai nodded, and Mia ruffled her hair.

Suddenly, Mai stared at the lyrics thoughtfully, and tears started to well up in her eyes.

"Mai? What is it? Why are you crying?" Mia was panicking – that certainly _wasn't_ what she wanted to happen when she decided to help Mai. But why was she crying in the first place? Did she upset her by arranging the stuff or something? Then, Mai spoke up.

"I am _not_ crying. As long as the tears don't fall, it doesn't count – everybody knows that!" Mai's tone was indignant, like a little child. But then, she sobered up. "It's just, you know – it sees like one song, the first one, is about my father, while the second one is about my mother. It just touched me that you arranged them that way…" Mai sniffed, "And I hope to do the justice through the songs. They will be an homage to them. Thank you, Mia."

Mia's eyes went soft.

"You are welcome, Mai." _Don't mention it, Imouto-chan… I will always be there if you need me._ "Oh, one more tip – write down your feelings and thoughts and stuff like that in a diary. You can use that to write songs or a book or draw later – it will allow you to focus your thoughts, which is always useful.

"Well then, shall I leave you alone to complete the lyrics?" Mai nodded. Mia turned to leave, when Mai's voice stopped her.

"Good night, Mia."

"Good night, Mai," Mia threw over her shoulder before skipping out of the room and running around the corner.

Mai shook her head while smiling. _Seriously… she_ is _going to trip one day. And people call_ me _reckless._

* * *

A week had passed in the same vein – Mai training her body and mind in order to learn control with her two teachers in the morning, learning the basics about handling different weapons and training with them – right now, Mai was practicing with a bow, having shown acceptable understanding when practicing with a katana. She was now the proud owner of a katana with a blade length of 2.35 Shaku (71.2 cm; 28.0 in), and a Namisun (Japanese bow, 221 cm; 7.25 foot), as well as a recurve bow (western type of bow, 162.55 cm; 5.33 foot).

Once Genryuusai was happy with her basic understanding of them, she would move on to the throwing knifes, and then the daggers and so on, until she had a basic understanding of all of her 'chosen' weapons. Then she would choose the two that she wanted to specialize in – a long ranged and a short ranged weapon, meaning either katana or dagger as short ranged and either the bow or the whip as long ranged – converting 'weapon testing' into 'weapon mastery'. Apparently, the weapon she was training in would then be alternated weekly.

That meant that if she started with the short ranged weapon, she would spent that week every day between 10 and 12 am mastering it, while the 'weapon training' period would be used to train the other weapon as well as the throwing knifes. Those were, incidentally, mandatory, due to the fact that it was easy to create them and could be used to get out of sticky situations as a last minute creation or to get out of bindings if one were to get kidnapped by either humans or spiritual beings. Then, once the week was over, she would practice the long ranged weapon in weapon mastery.

Basically, weapon mastery was simply additional practice for that weapon. Well, that was the plan, anyway. Right now, Mai had to focus on strengthening her body during 'weapon training' first, before she could even hope to seriously start practicing a weapon… According to Genryuusai, anyway.

Anyway, after learning the basics about her weapons during 'weapon testing' and strengthening her body during 'weapon training' she would spend the evening getting educated by Genryuusai and continuing in writing the lyrics for her two songs.

As of now, she hadn't learned much more in education. They were currently going over the different types of ESP and PK that could manifest, and going over the basics in English. Apparently Mai's English was horrible, and needed to be fixed as soon as possible – it was mandatory for every paranormal researcher to be able to speak flawless English, due to the fact that most of the research papers were written in that very language. Mai herself didn't think that her English was that bad, but whatever.

They hadn't touched upon the topics of ISA and Mai's father again, but the day after her first 'education' lesson Mai had discovered a photo album on her kitchen table. She hadn't dared to open it yet, but it was an album of her father – she knew that due to the title. Mai assumed it was left by Gen-san, but she couldn't find the courage to open it yet – she first wanted to cope with the feelings her parent's death had left her with before catching a glimpse of his childhood.

Mai's free time before and after dinner was spend composing the lyrics for the two songs – she wanted them to be absolutely perfect.

* * *

This evening found Mia and Mai in a familiar situation – Mia preparing to leave after having spent the evening with Mai, keeping her company while she ate and poured over the lyrics. Currently, Mai was sitting on the couch, worrying her lip, and coming to an important decision. During the nine days Mai had spent in the Akahana compound, Mia had become a very important person to her – the closest she had ever felt to somebody, and they had grown very close.

 _Mia is what I imagine a big sister to be like… even in SPR I had nobody who even remotely touched that position. I feel comfortable when I talk with her – I can tell everything, without risking being ridiculed. Yet, at the same time, she will tease me – but never maliciously, and when I need advice, or simply someone to listen, she is always there._

It was that thought that finally made Mai gather enough courage to ask Mia the most important question. She just hoped that Mia would catch the hidden meaning.

She called out to Mia, who had collected her dirty dishes and was now on her way to the door.

"Mia? Do you want to… um… would it be alright if…" Mai closed her eyes, focused, collected her courage, and blurted out, "Would you mind helping me with the melody once I have finalized the lyrics?"

To everyone else, this would have seemed like a mere looking for help in composing on Mai's side. Mia, however, saw it for what it was – an invitation to learn more about Mai. To learn about her past, about two tragic events, about two persons that inevitably shaped her, and about the two persons that would always hold a special spot in Mai's heart. It was Mai offering to share something that besides from Mia, nobody had ever seen.

No, not only offering her to learn about it – participating in the important homage to her parents, that was very important to Mai. It was undoubtly a tremendous privilege, that hadn't been offered to anybody else. Therefore, Mia responded in kind.

"Sure Imouto-chan – just come whenever!" With that, Mia turned and skipped out of the room, sporting a grin matching Mai's. Though Mai was also spotting a pretty big blush.

"I-I-Imouto-chan?!" Mai stood there flustered, feeling as her heart felt light in a way that it hadn't since Naru left and SPR disbanded. _Actually_ , she mused, _I haven't even felt like that while SPR was still up and running… I wasn't claimed as family since my mother died. Imouto-chan… I like that._

 _Just you wait, Mia, I will get the lyrics done in no time! And I'm going to master my powers as fast as humanely possible – I will never allow my family to be torn away from me ever again. Watch out, world, Akahana Mai is coming!_

* * *

Mai woke up the next morning, dead tired from hours of composing and catching barely five hours of sleep. Despite that, she surpassed herself in every aspect of her training – set new records in her running, mastered the new form of Qigong she had been struggling with the last two days, finishing Gen-san's training routines with ease, completing her English exercises faster than ever. The evenings were spent perfecting the lyrics, until she was finally satisfied.

Later that evening, Mai greeted Mia with the words "I have finished the lyrics.", to which Mia replied with a simple "Let me see". The excitement was almost tangible in the air, and it emanated from both girls in equal amounts.

Mia looked at the two songs in front of her.

 _ **See you again**_ _  
"Said goodbye, turned around  
And you were gone, gone, gone  
Faded into the setting sun,  
Slipped away  
But I won't cry  
'Cause I know I'll never be lonely  
For you are the stars to me,  
You are the light I follow_

 _I will see you again, oh  
This is not where it ends  
I will carry you with me, oh  
'Till I see you again_

 _I can hear those echoes in the wind at night  
Calling me back in time  
Back to you  
In a place far away  
Where the water meets the sky  
The thought of it makes me smile  
You are my tomorrow_

 _I will see you again, oh  
This is not where it ends  
I will carry you with me, oh  
'Till I see you again_

 _Sometimes I feel my heart is breaking  
But I stay strong and I hold on 'cause I know  
I will see you again, oh  
This is not where it ends  
I will carry you with me_

 _I will see you again,  
This is not where it ends  
I will carry you with me,  
'Till I see you again  
'Till I see you again  
'Till I see you again  
'Till I see you again  
Said goodbye turned around  
And you were gone, gone, gone."_

 _ **Supermarket flowers**_

" _I took the supermarket flowers from the windowsill  
I threw the day old tea from the cup  
Packed up the photo album Matthew had made  
Memories of a life that's been loved  
Took the get well soon cards and stuffed animals  
Poured the old ginger beer down the sink  
Dad always told me, "don't you cry when you're down"  
But mum, there's a tear every time that I blink_

 _Oh I'm in pieces, it's tearing me up, but I know  
A heart that's broke is a heart that's been loved_

 _So I'll sing Hallelujah  
You were an angel in the shape of my mum  
When I fell down you'd be there holding me up  
Spread your wings as you go  
And when God takes you back we'll say Hallelujah  
You're home_

 _I fluffed the pillows, made the beds, stacked the chairs up  
Folded your nightgowns neatly in a case  
John says he'd drive then put his hand on my cheek  
And wiped a tear from the side of my face_

 _I hope that I see the world as you did cause I know  
A life with love is a life that's been lived_

 _So I'll sing Hallelujah  
You were an angel in the shape of my mum  
When I fell down you'd be there holding me up  
Spread your wings as you go  
And when God takes you back we'll say Hallelujah  
You're home_

 _Hallelujah  
You were an angel in the shape of my mum  
You got to see the person that I have become  
Spread your wing  
And I know that when God took you back he said Hallelujah  
You're home"_

"So, what do you think?"

"These lyrics are great. Now, let's create you the perfect musical background. Though, I assume you know that some things may very well get changed around while doing that?"

"Yeah, I know. I'll probably add a few 'oh's and 'ah's and 'yeah's and all that jazz singers always do when I actually sing it for the first time." Mia laughed at Mai's description.

"Yeah, you probably will. Well then, let's get started, then? I'll bring you to the music room."

"Let's go." Saying this, Mai hooked her arm in Mia's, and allowed her to lead the way.

* * *

 **AN:**

Finally finished! This took forever, and is only soething like a transition chapter. You may have noticed that the chapter title changed - yep, it's an indication that the story now starts going over in the next part. I may have titled it 'Coping - _part 1_ ', but I don't know if there will actually be a part 2. WIth this, I mean that I will only title chapters that focus completly on her coping with sth like that. That could, for example, be an intermission chapter during or after a case. Just a little heads up.

 **Updating schedule:  
** There will be changes in this. I said before that updates may slow down, but I didn't expect it to be this much. It has been FOUR DAYS since I updated... That left me quite shocked. Those who read my profile know that the next few days will be _busy_. Today (or tomorrow, depending on your timezone) I will have rehearsalas with the choir fot the graduation ceremony on friday, meaning I won't have time on either of those days. Then, I volunteered to help set up the space for the prom, most likely stealing my saturday, and the sunday - when the prom actually is - I also won't get any writing done. Monday I will probably still be tired, but I may or ay not get around to writing a bit. In other words: **don't expect an update before TUESDAY.** After that, however, I expect to be able to return the 1 chapter a day routine.

 **About the chapter:  
** Alright, so I actually wanted this to be a LONG (10k+) chapter as make-up for leaving you so long without anything. Well. I spent 5 hours researching about the correct length and types of weapons - that was confusing as hell, actually. Apparently, the correct bow size is deducted from your 'calculated draw length'. Being the smart person I am, I chose a website in english, to ensure that I have the correct terms and don't mess up the translation. Problem: the website didn't use cm, but foot. I was very confused until I figured that out, and then I had to constantly calculate back and forth. That took quite some time. Then I was again confused when trying to choose the bow _type..._ Gah, anyway. I have now so much theoretical knowledge about bows, their types, their components, and their creation, you won't believe it XD Not having the nerve of detailing the training after that, I glossed over it. Hope you guys don't mind, I plan to keep doing that in the future and only go into detail on important parts.  
Plus, the most annoying thing ever: my 'M' sees to be malfunctioning... I now have to hit it extra hard. Do you know how often I needed an M for Mai and Mia? Well, that is the reason this chapter isn't longer.  
Anyway, this chapter ended up being 3434 words (funny number, btw), which I think is alright, but nowhere near the word count I wanted it to be. So, apologies for that. Hope you like the songs I chose, _See You Again_ by Carrie Underwood and _Supermarket Flowers_ by Ed Sheeran. I simply think the two fit perfect (and I love these songs - though I only discovered Carrie Underwood today). Oh, and I am quite proud of myself: I _finally_ finished deciding on the personalities and abilities of the members of Mai's future team. Expect a few more OCs in the future!

 **Question** :  
1\. Do you guys actually want to see what the SPR members are doing right now, or do you want to start reading about them when they reunite (or prepare to) before meeting Mai? It will only be one chapter, though, and I don't expect there to be much about each char.  
2\. Do you like the new pacing or should I slow it down again for the next chapters? (Meaning: showing her training instead of just saying what she achieved)

* * *

 _ **As always, I would like to thank everybody who reviewed, followed or favourited this story! Reviews feed my inspiration and motivation, guys - I'm always very thankful when you take your time to review!**_

 **Sagecycle** : Glad you enjoyed it! Sorry that you had to wait so long for this chapter... Anyway, that's exactly how I want Gen-san to come across! But he will be her mentor at the same time while being a reliable older brother ^^

 **Nagisa Maeda:** Gload to hear that I am not the only one XD Yeah, it gets annoying, but as long as the end result is good and doesn't _totally_ throw the timeline out of wack, it's okay for me. As for Gene: _**DEFINITELY**_. I love his character, and adore their relationship. He will actually be the first she reforges her bond with, as his leaving wasn't voluntary. But that's all the spoiler I'm giving ^^ Yeah, nodachi are pretty nifty too ^^ Right now I a just glad that I didn't have to shorten her katana and that I could easily give it to her by choosing the correct size XD I was really worried about that at first ^^

 **Umiron** : You are welcome! Hope you enjoyed this one too!

 **melchormonica8:** Thanks for pointing that out! Yep, you are going to read the songs ^^ It is something I myself enjoy doing in fics, so I will do it too ^^^Have patience with the revealing about her parents, I think you guys will find it quite interesting! Basically, yes, that's roughly how it's going to go - but there will be a few different things. For example, Naru will have heard about her before, but didn't realise it was his Mai due to the name change. But I'm not spoiling more ^^

 **Joys:** Excellent idea, I will have her do that once she has finished coping with the news about her father, I think. As you can see, I've (started) to heed your advice about Gen-san telling Mai about her father... Right now I am iagining something like them taking a trip or doing a case or something and they get stuck somewhere, which will lead to Gen-san telling her about him... But that idea isn't refined yet. I find it quite fascinating that you come up with such similar ideas that I have (about the song + Mia). That was actually the exact plan after that last chapter ran away from me ^^ Your review always makes my day - therefore I'm glad that my chapters do the sae for you!

 **Damaged Forest Spirit:** I don't know it myself... It's 2.50 am right now, and I think I'm still good concerning typos. I think it is due to english being a secondary language to me - I automatically concentrate more when using it. The problem I have to fight the most with at this time is vocabulary and awkward wording - at this time it is _way_ easier to make a mistake in that departement. I'm glad that I managed to convey emotions through my writing - I wasn't sure if I managed to ^^ Don't worry, you don't sound like a loyal dog - you sound like an awesome reader! Btw, your comment made me smile - thank you for that! (it is quite the stressful time for me right now).

 **WildKat25ShadowWolf13:** I will do a MaRu pairing, and I don't see anything speaking against the other pairings ^^Yes, I agree. Naru's feelings are definitely genuine, and Mai's were too. If Naru had behaved differently in this fic, Mai would have never lost her feelings for him, and the knowledge about each other would have come naturally. About loving soeone without knowing things about someone... I honestly don't know. It depends, I guess. The thing is, I belief that Mai fell in love with him due to some mixture of a crush and hero worship (which was only fortifies by Naru always believing in her), which turned into 'real' love. But when Naru left, and took the protection he offered with him, Mai _didn't want_ to be in love with him anymore. Therefore, she analysed her feelings, which led her to the belief of crush/hero worship, completly disregarding her other feelings. Belief is a strong force - when Mai believed that she wasn't in love with him anymore and never loved him in the first place, she fell out of love. Besides, I myself believe that love 'withers' if it is never reciprocate and the person walks out of your life. Naru never showed her that it was reciprocated by being an ass to her (apart from the fact that he himself didn't realise it, bc he is as dense as a stone when it comes to huan interaction). Actually, I belive the being an ass thing is the same principle as when a boy teases a girl: he wants her (undevided) attention and wants to be a special person to her. I totally agree that he cares about her and her opinion of her despite his attitude - actually, Naru is very protective (overprotective?) of her. And yes, this will _definitly_ become a Naru chases Mai fic - because I haven't managed to find a fic where Naru returns and Mai _didn't_ immidiately fall over for him. It would be easier for Naru if Mai would hate him (eg, luring her into a competition or using her clouded/distracted mind to trick her), but in this fic she will be neutral to him, and actually has no reason to come back to him, join him, or even _interact_ with them. Plus, the people surrounding her won't be very impressed with him - the whole SPR, actually. I have already written the chapter where they meet and a bit of what happens after that, and I just hope that you guys are going to enjoy it. Thank you for your review, I love talking about things like this!

Until next time,  
One Autumn Leaf


	10. Progress

**Progress**

It has been two months since Mai arrived at the Akahana compound. Though, it would probably be more accurate to say that she arrived at the mansion instead of the compound – apart from her runs in the morning she hadn't left the rooms assigned to her. She had spent her time always following the routine Gen-san's training plan had established: Running in the morning, followed by Qigong with Akari, strengthening her body and learning the basics about her weapons, followed by improving her English during education, and ending with composing together with Mia.

During that time she hadn't interacted with anyone except Akari, Genryuusai, and Mia. Mai didn't join her 'family' (the rest of the Akahanas) for dinner, preferring Mia's company, and she didn't spend her time exploring the rest of the compound, like Gen-san intended for her to do with her free time.

The two other teachers that were supposed to help her in education apart from Genryuusai had been no-shows – when Mai inquired about them, Gen-san told her that their expertise wasn't needed yet. Apparently, they first had to fix the most glaring lack of education Gen-san had ever seen – her English skills.

Thinking about it always made Mai scowl. Her English wasn't _that_ bad, was it? Sure, she barely understood anything Gen-san tried to teach her in the beginning, but now she was able to hold a conversation fairly easily. Mai thought that was a big improvement considering what she could do before (or rather, couldn't) – especially when she took in account how much better her accent was. She now could _at least_ pronounce the words correctly.

But it wasn't just her English that had improved. Every area that she trained in with Gen-san's trainings plan had shown great improvement.

Her endurance, strength, speed, and flexibility had noticeably improved, to the point that Gen-san constantly had to adjust the pace at which they were running and the length they did each day. She had also stepped up her performance in the gym, something that made Gen-san very pleased, if she read his self-satisfied smirk correctly.

Additionally, she had gained a bit of muscle. These fast improvements were due to the fact that Mai threw everything she had into training, and the fact that she hadn't worked out before.

Due to Mai's complete focus on and during training, all other aspects of her training regimen had seen great improvements too. She had completed the gaining of basic knowledge about each chosen weapon, and decided to focus on learning archery and swordsmanship – the bow and the katana. The next step would be to start training seriously with those weapons, but for some reason Gen-san was holding it off.

Mai was always a bit confused when thinking back to the day when she chose her weapons. Gen-san and Akari had both made it out as an extremely important and difficult decision for Akahanas. Apparently, every Akahana would unconsciously choose the weapons he or she were most comfortable with and showed the most talent in during the very first day of choosing weapons, when standing in that massive dojo where _every possible kind_ of weapon was stored. Therefore, choosing only two of the weapons for further pursuit was a difficult and almost impossible decision. Mai, however, had no such problems.

* * *

" _Remember, Mai. You may only choose two weapons, one short ranged and one mid to long ranged, as the weapons you will master. I know that this is an extremely difficult decision, as you already have the best suited weapons laying in front of you. However, it is one of the most important decisions you will have to face in your training. Take your time and think about it. Listen to your instincts._

" _Every Akahana is born with instincts that allow you to choose YOUR weapon. And they will always make the right decision for you, though it may take some time. Ken'ichi-sama, the current head of the Akahana clan, spent ten whole days debating this issue while meditating._

" _Take your time. Only when you are_ absolutely _sure what weapon you want to master shall you make a decision. Do you understand?"_

 _Mai nodded, letting her eyes glide over the weapons assembled in front of her._

 _A whip –_ no, that is not me. It doesn't fit me.  
 _Throwing knifes –_ not my style either, but they are mandatory _anyway_.  
 _Daggers –_ no. Way. In. Hell.

 _Mai almost thought that this was hopeless, when her eyes saw the two weapons she had started her journey with. The two weapons she had first chosen upon entering that dojo._

 _Her katana, and her bow._

 _Mai could feel her heart rate picking up. Not much, but enough that she was aware of it. She felt her eyes getting transfixed on them, unable to look away. A weird tingly feeling was coursing through her body, culminating in her hands and feet. A low hum filled the air, originating from the weapons. Both were different tones – the one emanating from the katana was slightly higher than the bow – but they were meshing into a beautiful melody, drawing her in._

 _Mai felt compelled to move forward, to pick them up, to handle_ her _weapons._

 _It was at this moment that Mai absentmindedly realized_ this is the instinct Gen-san was going on about. But seriously? Who needs _ten days_ to figure this out? They must be a special kind of dense idiot…

 _Mai picked up her weapons and walked towards Gen-san, with the bow and arrow held securely in her hands. She secretly reveled in how right it felt to hold them, and she suppressed her urge to start using them_ right now.

" _These." Mai held the weapons towards Genryuusai for inspection._

" _These what?" Gen-san was seriously confused, and looked it. His forehead pulled into a frown, eyes slightly narrowed and focusing intently on Mai and the weapons, his gaze flitting from one to the other while trying to figure out the meaning of Mai's word._

" _These are the weapons I will master."_

 _It was probably the first time anyone had ever seen the composed Koizumi Genryuusai, one of the most respected people in the compound, dumbfounded._

 _And Mai found it quite hilarious._

* * *

Mai still looked back fondly to that event. Gen-san's expression was hilarious, his face slack from shock, eyes wide, and Genryuusai not blinking for quite some time, his whole body frozen in shock.

Then, the transition from dumbfounded Gen-san to composed Gen-san had started, beginning with Genryuusai blinking. Once, twice, thrice.

Then, one eyebrow rose, and Gen-san discovered his voice, only to ask her if she was certain. Apparently, no decision had ever taken less than an hour. A decision in less than a minute was unheard of.

Mai just wasn't sure if it was a good thing – if her instincts were sharp enough and her talent pronounced enough to make it an easy and fast decision, or if her talent in every other weapon was so mediocre that there wasn't much to decide between. Mai seriously hoped that it was the former, but neither Gen-san nor Aka-chan would give her an answer.

Even Mia was shocked when she told her, and in the end only told her to 'wait and see, don't worry about it', which didn't help Mai at all.

* * *

Another area Mai advanced in was the musical field. According to Mia, she had beautiful vocals, and the two of them had finalized the songs dedicated to her parents. If she were to believe Mia, then her songs were a great success all around the campus. They were well received in every age group, from the kids to the elders.

One of her relatives, Akahana Himitsu, had posted her song on YouTube, much to Mai's annoyance. It was one of the reasons Mai studiously avoided going to the dinner – she was seriously pissed off at her. _Her_ songs, the homage for _her parents_ was out in the world – without Mai's permission.

However, due to that, Mai had gained international fame as a singer. Her songs were very popular, and multiple labels had shown their interest in her. In the end, Mai chose a label affiliated with the Akahana clan – ROSE Labels – which gave her a great offer, under the stipulation that she could compose at her own leisure and wouldn't be forced to do _anything_ if she didn't want to – including concerts. The label agreed, and Mai had made a lot of money overnight. That money was currently being overseen by Mia, who had somehow become her manager.

Mai was quite happy with that, even though she had decided to never publish a song again – at least in the foreseeable future.

But the achievements Mai felt the most pride about was her success in Qigong. According to Aka-chan she had sufficient control over her Qi, her energy, at the moment, and it was decided to move on to the next step.

* * *

 _After another Qigong-sessions with Aka-sensei, said person ambled over to where Mai was still sitting after her last exercise, completely relaxed._

" _Mai, can I talk with you for a second?"_

" _Sure, Aka-sensei."_

" _Gen-san and I evaluated your current skill level in Qigong, and your ability to stay calm and control yourself during the exercises and the whole day. We came to the conclusion that you reached a sufficient skill level and that we should advance to the next step."_

" _The next step?"_

" _Yes. As you know, you are learning Qigong in order to control your Qi, and meditation and breathing techniques assist you with that. However, all of that is simply a preparation for our_ actual _goal: teaching you control over your abilities. Now, while we are still nowhere near the required control necessary to learn how to use your abilities, you do have enough control that we can loosen your restraints a bit._

" _Loosening your restraints means that you can start feeling the aura of stuff again. That means, that your instinct will come back to you, you can pick up the general feeling of a place again, and you will be able to feel someone else's psychical powers with a bit of practice. Naturally you will be able to sense the presence of spirits again."_

" _Wait a sec, I was never able to sense spirits in the first place! I am not a medium." Akari looked questioningly at Mai._

" _Are you sure? From what I've heard from Gen-san, you are definitely spiritually sensitive, and on some cases you saw ghosts – Urado, the child in the window during the Minnie case, the fox spirit in the Demigod case… Or is that wrong?"_

" _No… But…"_

" _No buts, Mai. The strength of a medium differs. Just because you can't always sense spirits, doesn't mean that you cannot see or sense them. Plus it might simply be lying dormant within you. I can't imagine that someone as spiritually sensitive and as strong as you cannot sense ghosts."_

 _Mai couldn't argue with that. Seeing her nod, Akari continued._

" _Alright, so you will be able to do that stuff again. But, you cannot have any visions, post- or precognitive, Astral projection is out, and your PK is blocked. You also won't be able to use your energy healing._

" _As you can see, we will only be loosening it a bit, in order to allow you to reconnect with your psychic powers. Having them locked up for too long could be dangerous, and you need to familiarize yourself with them before attempting to control them. Therefore, you won't have any training for the next three days. We want you to spent that time meditating, getting a feeling for your surroundings, and organinzing your thoughts. Any questions?"_

" _No," Mai said in a chipper tone._

" _Alright then. For the next few months the control over your psychic powers will be your goal. After that, you can decide whether you want to continue training or if you want to quit. If you continue, you will train for the rank of 'exorcist'. When you achieved that rank, you will be allowed to go on cases with a team. If you quit, you will be listed as an 'affiliated' member. They are sometimes also called 'untrained members'. In that case, the Akahana clan will support you every aspect except the paranormal. Well then, off you go!"_

 _When Mai left the room, she saw Genryuusai leaning against the wall, waiting for her. He whisked her away into a room which walls were plastered full with charms, before taking her ring and disappearing in another room through a connecting door._

 _Six hours later Mai had her ring back, and she could instantly feel the difference._

 _She could feel the warmth the property seemed to exude. The kindness of Gen-san, but also his strictness. He gave her a very warm feeling. She could sense the power of the charms in the room she was sitting in. And she could feel light presences wandering through the mansion as she traveled back to her room. She realized that these were the ghosts Aka-chan spoke of, and she had to agree – she could sense them, but not see them. Upon reaching her room, she could feel the peace radiating from it._

 _And when she sat down for meditation that evening, she wondered how she never noticed that her instinct was missing – it should have been obvious._

Well, _she thought,_ I was always a bit dense.

* * *

Another achievement that Mai was happy about was the fact that she could finally get around on her own – at least to the rooms that she used these past two months, and her own room. Curiously, though, Aka-chan still accompanied her to her room after every training lesson – and Mai couldn't understand why, but it warmed her heart nonetheless.

Her biggest achievements weren't those Mai could see, however.

Firstly, she settled in. Mai hadn't realized it yet, but she had begun to think about the mansion as her home, and acknowledged Mia, Gen-san and Akari as her family. Due to that, the positive spiritual energy that permeated the whole property had begun to seep into her, strengthening her control and possibly her abilities.

But Mai could neither feel, nor see, nor sense that. In fact, only Gen-san noticed it. After all, the amount was so miniscule that nobody should be able to pick up on it.

Secondly, the spirits on the property acknowledged and liked Mai. It was a subtle thing, but of great importance for every Akahana clan member. This acknowledgement and like from the spirits would later allow her to draw on their wisdom and learn their favorite techniques for controlling their powers.

For someone like Mai, that had such a large amalgam of abilities, it would be an undeniable and unreplaceable asset, without which she would never be able to achieve true mastery.

This change went unnoticed by everyone but a certain elder, who was wondering if Mai would finally be the one to gain approval of the spirits, or if the Akahana clan would be heirless for yet another generation.

* * *

Despite not being able to notice her biggest achievements, Mai was happy. Full of determination she decided to master her control over her abilities as fast as possible, and that she should use her remaining three days free from training to the best of her ability. Therefore, Mai pulled out a book from her educational bookshelf.

 _Qigong: Wu Qin Xi – the play of the five animals_

Flipping it over, Mai read the summary on the backside.

' _The play of the five animals Tiger, Crane, Leopard, Snake, and Dragon was developed by the Chinese doctor Hua Tuo during the Han-dynasty. Therefore, it belongs in the category of the medical Qigong. However, it was adapted in the 16_ _th_ _century into Wu Xin Xi, a shaolin fighting style. The animals represent one thing each: the Tiger (_ _虎_ _hǔ) represents training the bones, the dragon (_ _龙_ _lóng) represents the mind, the leopard (_ _豹_ _bào) represents power, the snake (_ _蛇_ _shé) represents Qi and the crane (_ _鹤_ _hè) represents the essence (Jing)._

 _This book will cover both the medical training exercises and the Shaolin fighting styles Huxingquan (tigers fist), Longquan (dragons fist), Baoquan (Leopards fist), Shequan (Snakes fist) and Hequan (Cranes fist). Additionally, the system of the twelve animals will be covered, and comparisons will be drawn between the two styles.'_

"That might be helpful," Mai muttered, and flopped onto her bed with the book.

* * *

On the morning of the next day, Mai woke up due to a soft knocking thought. Glancing at her clock, Mai frowned when she saw the time. 4 am. Maybe nobody informed Mia that she didn't have training today? But the last two days she didn't come to wake her up that early… What's going on?

Shuffling over to the door, Mai expected the soft knocking to become louder, considering that she was moving towards the door. However, when that didn't happen, but Mai shrugged with her shoulders and disregarded it.

Opening the door, Mai didn't see anyone who could have produced the knocking sound. She didn't hear footsteps, she didn't sense a presence, and the knocking sound had disappeared.

Disregarding it as being a trick from her tired brain mixed with the remnants of dreams, Mai shuffled back to her bed and fell into a dreamless sleep, completely forgetting the event.

* * *

When she woke next, it was due to a mixture of two things. First: the heavenly aroma coming from the kitchen, probably due to Mia, and the horrible nightmare she just awoke from, stemming from the Urado case.

Mai tried to relax and shake the remnants form her dream in order to savor her breakfast, but she didn't succeed. Deciding that she should meditate and eat later, Mai proceeded to do exactly that – only to discover that she couldn't concentrate enough.

Every time she closed her eyes, she could see it: Urado advancing on her. Urado killing her. Urado's stinking breath. His disgusting bath tub. Masako in danger. The crazy house. Being held down by Urado's lackeys. The panic and fear she experienced on that case. Discovering the corpses. Rushing to save Masako. The guilt of leaving her alone in that room. The guilt. Bloody footsteps. The fear. Disgusting breath. The revulsion. Glinting knife. The panic. Sharp coldness. The despair. Dripping blood. The numbness. Cornered Masako. The Helplessness. The revulsion, the guilt, the fear, the panic, the helplessness, the despair – and the blackness of death.

Snapping out of her memories, Mai took stock of her surroundings. She felt surprisingly detached. Her body was lying on the floor instead of sitting at the table, rolled defensively into the fetus position. Her vision seemed to be fuzzy, blank spot danced over it. Her lungs were heaving to take in a breath, faster and faster and faster, but there never seemed to be enough air – she needed more, more, more – Oh. She was hyperventilating. Her breaths were too shallow, she was panting. A panic attack.

 _Okay, calm down Mai. Deep, measured breaths_.

Right. Measured breaths. Measure them on – on what? After her nightmares she was usually always surrounded by SPR who would calm her down. Now she was alone. Alone, alone, alone, just like that time, just like during that dream, just like when she died – No. She wasn't.

She had Mia and Aka-chan and Gen-san. She wasn't alone.

 _Deep breaths, Mai. Deep breaths. Measure them._

But on what? Nobody was here, She didn't have anybody she could measure them on, neither Mia nor Gen-san nor Aka-chan – Aka-chan. That's it.

 _Good, you are doing great. Concentrate. Focus. What did Akari give you?_

Aka-chan? What did he give me? Qigong? But what can Qigong… BREATHING EXERCISES. The first thing I learned were breathing exercises. Alright. Focus Mai. Regulate your breath – you learned how.

In – Out. In – Out. In – Out. In – Out. In – Out. In – Out. In – Out. In – Out. In – Out. In – Out. In – Out.

Mai didn't know how long she lay there, but she realized one thing fairly quickly – she needed to deal with her memory of Urado. She couldn't allow that monster to terrorize her again – couldn't allow it to control her. She was Akahana Mai, not the weak Taniyama Mai – and Taniyama's problems needed to stay with Taniyama, and shouldn't cross over into Akahana.

Mai looked at her coping methods.

Music – didn't seem fitting. Too short to truly capture her emotions, and the music would make it creepier than necessary and wanted

Art – no. She didn't want to look at that monster ever again.

Literature it was – it seemed perfect in this case.

Pulling the black notebook to her lap and grabbing a pen, Mai sat down at the kitchen table once again and started writing.

' _The Urado case – The bloodstained labyrinth, case number 7'_

 _It all started when Madoka requested Naru to investigate an imposer of Oliver Davis, which coincided with a request from the prime minister to investigate his house. Not that any of us (apart from Lin and Naru) knew about that second part. The prime minister hired many different teams in order to ensure a quick closure. But the case wasn't something easily solved, and the spirit wasn't easily exorcised. In fact…_

Mai spent the whole day writing the case file about the Bloodstained labyrinth from her perspective.

* * *

 **AN:**

Aaannd CUT.

Alright. This heavily delayed chapter was brought to you by one lazy author who preferred to read fanfictions instead of writing one herself, and then proceeded to start a new story. I'm terribly sorry. Well, anyway. I already wrote two chapters for the other story, but I most likely won't publish it until I have finished this one up - don't want to feel the need to update both of them.

On that note - changed the update rate. Instead of striving for one chapter per day (which, let's admit it, I haven't been doing for 3 weeks now), I'll try for _**two chapters per week**_. (Doesn't mean there won't be exra chapters if I feel up to it, though.) Hopefully I'll be able to keep up that schedule, otherwise you'll have to accept that I'll never be able to keep writing the way I plan it.

Here's another thing: I'll be on **vacation starting form the 24th** (Italy, here I come!), and I'll be in Italy for **three weeks**. I don't know if I'm going to have wifi or if I can even bring my laptop along, so I won't guarantee any updates.

Also, I'd like to give all of you a _story rec_ : **_OMEN_ **by **_sweetheartyy_** (Words: 32,485)  
I think it is a brilliant story, which I would definitly recommend checking out. I love the premise, and how everything is influenced/changed because of it, and found the story highly entertaining. So, if you have a free minute, check it out!  
Summary: _Waking up one day after a really weird dream, Taniyama Mai finds that she already knows people she never met and things before they even happen._

Apart from that - hope you enjoyed the Update!

* * *

 _ **As always, I would like to thank everybody who reviewed, followed or favourited this story! Reviews feed my inspiration and motivation, guys - I'm always very thankful when you take your time to review!**_

 **Nagisa Maeda:** Hihihi, I promise it is something to look forward to! Great you like it, and glad that you liked my song choices!

 **melchormonica8:** Thanks! Well, prom was amazing ^^ Because the opinions on SPR's life are completly split, I'll most likely make a hybrid - show a few snippets here and there, hope that's alright with you ^^

 **Damaged Forest Spirit:** Haha, alright mine (luckily) didn't pop off - I'd be seriously hard pressed to find a way to repair that XD Glad you enjoyed the chapter, and hope you like this one too ^^

 **Joys:** Yes, I definitely agree with you there. She has the best bond with Bou-san in my opinion, but it'll most likely be Yasu who reaches out to her first - his semester ending before the world tour. Again, I have to agree. I think I wrote it in the chapter, but the Akahana don't tolerate somebody to go on cases without reaching the proper rank - exorcist - first. After all, they are a family and don't want to risk loosing even one member. You are definitely going to see more of Akari at... some point. I got a big ass background story that Mai is going to unravel piece by piece, but right now it simply doesn't seem right... IDK. You are right about the tiger form - and I incooperated (yet again) one of your ideas ^^ But I'm still unsure how Mai is going to reflect on that and what conclusion she is going to come to - after all, that was termed by Naru, and right now she wants to be the opposite of an animal - Mai wants control and security. We'll see.

 **DragonQueenFire:** Glad to hear that! Yeah, I'll probably won't show everyone, but Naru and Lin are a must,together with probably Yasu and Bou-san, but we'll see.

 **Glass Dragon's Rose:** Thanks! Hope you like how this chapter turned out & thanks for the feedback ^^

 **Dark04:** Thanks!

 **Lucy N. Dragneel** **:** Thanks & will do ^^

 **Umiron:** Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the feedback! Weeelll... I _will_ reunite them, but it's going to be different from before. At the beginning, it will definitly be that 'aquaintances' feeling - after all, Mai doesn't need them, and is more knowledgeable and powerful than any of them. It is definitly going to be a change, that has never happened before during canon. I always felt like Mai was just the damsel in distress with helpful dreams, and this isn't how it is going to be. I will give you a mild spoiler though: Mai is going to work with SPR like the other irregulars, meaning that she will be called if they think they need her and she can decline or accept. I don't know if you would define it as 'reunited' or 'aquaintances', but that is ho wit's going to be.


	11. Coping, part 2: Urado (I)

**Coping, part 2**

The Urado case

Mai felt strangely free after spending her whole day writing down her experiences and thoughts about the Urado case. Granted, she wasn't finished yet – she had only reached the part where she stepped into the hallway and left Masako alone in their room – but that was to be expected if you took the many breaks she had to take in order to stop another panic attack from happening.

Nonetheless, she felt liberated. Both music and literature had been a big asset to her already, and she had to remember to thank Gen-san for that.

At a loss what to do with her remaining last free day except reading more about Qigong and Qi in general and writing about the Urado case, Mai decided to explore the rest of the compound today. It was, after all, what Gen-san intended for her to do with her free time in the first place. Besides, it would probably be a good way to take a break when she wrote about the more terrifying experiences of the case tomorrow.

After making her decision, Mai felt asleep.

* * *

This time, she was once again woken by a knocking sensation at 5 o'clock in the morning. Just like yesterday, Mai couldn't sense anyone – spirit or living – in her vicinity. To be on the safe side, she went and checked anyway, but as expected she couldn't find anyone.

Finding this repeated event strange (and, against common opinion she actually _did_ learn from working with a ghost hunting company) Mai picked up her trusty notebook, and – after leaving a few empty pages to finish the Urado case – wrote an entry.

' _Strange knocking sounds'_

 _April 06, 04 am – woken up by knocking sounds. No one in the vicinity.  
April 07, 05 am – woken up by knocking sounds. No one in the vicinity, neither human nor spirit._

Sighing Mai closed her notebook, and settled on her balcony in a meditative stance.

She concentrated on the Qi in her, and observed as it flowed, making sure that it was even and unobstructed. Then, she regulated her breathing, lowering it in the optimal rhythm that allowed her Qi to flow at the perfect speed for her body.

Then she stood up, all the while maintaining her head space and ensuring her breathing stayed even. With practiced ease she flowed through the katas (stances/positions) Aka-chan had taught her, before transitioning into the stances of Wu Xin Xi that she read about two days ago. In her heightened concentration she was easily able to recall them, though her execution was not at all smooth. Nonetheless, when Mai finished up at nine to get breakfast, she was able to do them flawlessly and with the same ease that she did her other ones.

She took the beautiful view from the balcony in one last time – a fairly big lake surrounded by Sakura trees, which seemed to hide something akin to a park from her view – before turning around, closing the balcony doors, and greeting Mia who had just entered her room with her breakfast.

* * *

"Good morning Mia!"

"Good Morning, Mai-sama. Did you sleep well?"

"Actually, I did, but a knocking sound woke me up at 5 o'clock. I have been up ever since."

"A knocking sound? Like a ghost or something? Is a spirit harassing you?" Mia's concern was clearly audible in her voice.

"No, I don't think so. At least I never noticed anyone in the vicinity – neither spirits _nor_ humans. It's strange, really."

"Hmm… How about you talk with Genryuusai about that? Anyway, today is the last of your free time. What do you intend to do?" Mai smiled at Mia as she sat down a cup of tea in front of her, before sitting down next to her. Somehow it had become their routine during the last two months

"I was thinking about exploring the compound, actually."

"Really?! Finally! I tried so long to get you subtly interested into going out… Are you finally going to get to know other people besides Genryuusai, Akari-san and me?"

"… I don't know about that. Actually, I was thinking of using the beautiful landscape as a distraction. I started writing up my experiences during the Urado case, and am probably going to finish it today. But because the experiences towards the end were more traumatic than during the beginning, I was planning on using the breaks I'll undoubtly need to take by exploring. What do you think? Pretty nifty, huh?"

"It's a pretty good plan, but how about you just write outside?" Mia's tone had become serious, nothing like the teasing tone she used before.

"Huh?"

"Well, it would be kind of tedious to have to move outside every time you take a break, no? But if you were to simply sit down outside, in the park or on the grass or something, you can get up and take a stroll or pause and listen to the animals instead of going outside. Plus, it is really beautiful, and you may get to meet other members of the clans. How does that sound?"

"I don't know Mia, I –"

"Aww, come on Mai-sama! I promise you won't regret it. The lake is beautiful, and I'm sure that you will easily be able to feel the peaceful atmosphere if you sit under a Sakura tree while writing. Please?" Mia gave Mai puppy dog eyes. _Lethal_ puppy dog eyes. Mai didn't even know that Mai could pull them off. Sighing, she gave in.

"Alright, if you think it will help… Do you have a spot that you recommend?"

"Yep! I'll show you to my favorite spot. Come on!" She waited until Mai had – barely – grabbed her notebook and her pen, before she hooked her arm in Mai's and literally dragged her with her, all the while skipping. Mai just looked at this shocked.

 _Seriously, how the hell doesn't she trip? How is it that I can fall over air and here she is, skipping while ragging me with her with our arms interlaced… Maybe it's some kind of psychic power?_

Suddenly, Mai remembered something very important. She dug her feet into the carpet, effectively stopping Mia's advance.

"Ah! Mia, what about breakfast?"

"Ah. I completely forgot." Mia stood, arms still wrapped around Mai's, trying to find a solution to the problem.

"How about we go back to the room and get it?" Mai suggest.

"No! Absolutely not."

"Eh? Why?"

"I finally managed to get you out of your room for something other than training. You are truly naïve if you think I'm going to let you off the hook now, you recluse!" Mia spoke in an agitated voice.

"I'm not that bad," Mai pouted. "And I am not a recluse!"

"Oh yeah? Prove it!" Mia's tone was challenging, and a smirk played on her lips.

"I'm out almost every day. These are the first free days I've had in two months!"

"Yeah, but you are always training on those occasions. When have you interacted with someone?"

"I am constantly interacting with someone! You, Aka-chan, Gen-san, …" Mai listed off

"And?"

"And what? Aren't that enough people?" Mai just barely held back a stomp. She didn't manage, however, to hold back her pout.

"Mai, that are three people you are socializing with. _Three._ One of those is your teacher, the other one was your first contact here, and the last one is your personal maid."

"And? What does that matter?" Mai felt a little sting in her heart. Were they only interacting with her because they were ordered to? But Mia called her 'Imouto-chan' – that had to mean something, didn't it? But what if –

"Mai-sama." Mia's firm voice interrupted her internal discussion. Noticing Mai's inner turmoil, her eyes softened.

"Mai, look at me. _How_ those bonds were created doesn't change anything about the strength of these bonds. You are the only one Genryuusai allows to call him Gen-san or any other nickname, you are Akari-san's only friend, and you are the only one I refer to as Imouto-chan, and nothing's going to change that." At this point, Mia had her arms firmly clamped on Mai's shoulder. Mai absentmindedly wondered whether being a mind reader ran in the Koizumi family.

"What I intended to show you right now was that while you _are_ socializing, you haven't gone out to find bonds. Instead, you took those that fell into your lap and strengthened them tremendously. That is by no means an easy feat – it is very impressive, actually – but you have become a recluse. From what I gathered from your stories, you used to be really outgoing. Now, you are even refusing to attend dinner with your relatives."

"No, that is different. They published my song without asking me, and –"

"Mai, stop. You are making excuses. You didn't attend dinner even before that. I understand that you are afraid of being left alone _yet again_ and I can understand that. It is the reason I didn't meddle with that. But Genryuusai told me that you came here with the goal of being in control. Or was that just pretense, and you are willing to let your fear control you?"

"No." Mai's voice was quiet, but strong. It was filled with an unwavering determination.

"See. Therefore, I am taking this chance and dragging you outside to stop that trend. Besides, I truly believe it will help with your writing process. Now, what were we talking about that we ended up on this topic anyway?" Mai laughed.

"Seriously, Mia, sometimes you really are a scatterbrain.

"Hey! I just gave you a really epic speech, I am allowed to forget things Mai-sama!" Mia protested indignantly.

"Yes, yes. Anyway, we were trying to find a solution for breakfast."

"Ah, that's right. Hmm, it'll be cold by now anyway. How about I bring you a snack in an hour or so?"

"Sounds good! Alright then, lead the way to your favorite spot Mia."

With those words, Mai hooked her arm in Mia's, and they began their trek again – with Mia once again skipping.

* * *

"It's beautiful!" Mai looked in awe at the scenery around her.

They were currently at a certain spot at the lake, located half an hour from the mansion. It was the lake she could see from her room, but the spot was opposite from her window, meaning that they had to walk around half the lake in order to get there.

The water itself was clear a beautiful light shade of blue, allowing her to see the fishes swimming inside of it. It was interspersed by a few stones, which Mai would be able to climb up and be able to comfortably sit or even lay down on. Some of them were so close to the shore that they caught the shade of the Sakura trees and no space was between it and the stone, while others were situated so far into the lake that she would have to swim over to them if she wanted to get on them. (*1 Lake – see profile)

Lush, green grass surrounded the lake, and it was protected from view by majestic Sakura trees, which were currently in full bloom. Mai and Mia were currently standing next to a small hill of maybe twenty meters (ca. 65 feet and 17 inches), from which a small waterfall ran into the lake, which was feeding clear water into the lake.

Mai could hear birds chirping in the trees, and together with the sounds from the waterfall it made for a beautiful harmony which easily relaxed Mai. The fact that the sun was shining and that the wind was blowing exactly the way she liked it was a bonus.

"How about we sit down on one of the benches?" Mia's voice interrupted Mai's gazing at her surroundings, and shook her out of her fascination.

"Benches?" Mai asked. She hadn't noticed them before. She began looking around, but was unable to find them. Chuckling Mia cleared her throat, indicating that Mai should pay attention to her. Following Mia's gaze, she finally spotted them.

There, situated a bit away from the lake in the shade of several Sakura trees, stood a stone bench. Maybe ten meters (32 feet 9 inches) further down another bench stood, and so on. Far enough away to give everybody their privacy, yet close enough to allow for observation of possible other visitors.

"Yeah, let's go."

* * *

After Mai had situated herself, Mia left in order to get a snack for Mai. It wouldn't do to cut her ( _long awaited_ ) journey outside the mansion ( _finally!_ ) short due to hunger.

 _Seriously. Who would have thought that such an open girl would essentially become a recluse? Now all that's left is to get her to join the dinner, and 'mission: get Mai out of her room' is a success. What to do, what to do… Ah, it's probably better to allow her to do that on her own volition with a bit of needling from my part. Who would have thought that a little sister would be so much work?_ Mia smiled softly. _But I wouldn't have her any other way._

Suddenly, a voice snapped her out of her reverie.

"Ah, Mia-chan! How nice to see you here. Where are you going?"

"Hi Hiroku! How's it going? I'm currently on my way to get to the kitchen in order to prepare a snack for Mai-sama."

"Mai-sama? You mean the new Akahana that was found a few months ago?"

"Yep."

"Heh. How is she? Is she nice? Capable? Kind? Or is she conceited, like those other two? And, most importantly, is she cute?"

"Woah, slow down with the questions. " Suddenly, Mia smiled. Cautiously, Hiroku took a step back – he had seen that smile before, and it never ended good for him.

"How about you go and see her for yourself?"

"Eh? But I'd rather hear about her from you – if she's anything like the two brats, I'd rather not interact with her unless necessary."

"Come on, they aren't that bad, just a bit spoilt" Hiroku snorted. "Anyway, I think you should go see Mai herself – she's not really someone I can just sum up in like two sentences. But she's very kind, and nothing like Himitsu and Yuki, trust me." Hiroku still didn't look convinced, but nodded anyway.

"Yeah, but is she cute? Or hot?" Mia giggled.

"She is, but I'll give you a warning. She is my Imouto – any funny business and I neuter you, capiche?" Hiroku gulped. The aura surrounding Mia was seriously dark, and her chuckle seemed ominous now. Hiroku had no doubt that she could – and would – neuter him.

"Yes Ma'am!"

"Good." Mia smiled gently, and went towards the kitchen. It was only several minutes later that Hiroku realized something.

"Hey! You never told me where she is! How am I supposed to find her?!"

He was positive that he heard his brother laughing at him.

' _Asshole.'_

* * *

As soon as Mia left, Mai closed her eyes and focused on the energy surrounding her. To her surprise, the energy in this place was very kind, very gentle, and really calm. She had a feeling that any panic attacks she could possibly get while remembering the Urado case would be effectively quelled before they happened.

She settled in the basic meditative pose – legs crossed, hands resting loosely on her knees – and allowed the positive energy to seep into her.

Feeling peaceful like never before, Mai started writing.

 _I allowed my feelings to get in the way and listened to Masako, leaving her alone in the room. I stepped into the hallway, and after a while I noticed that Masako still hadn't returned. I felt so guilty, so – so dumb, to have listened to her request, when I knew that people had been going missing and being found as corpses, when I had seen it and experienced it during my vision.  
I felt horrible, but most of all I felt panic. I was afraid for Masako, and I just couldn't handle the thought of it being my fault that she died.  
And lastly, I felt useless. Especially when everybody was working so hard to get Masako out of that wall, and I couldn't do anything but 'sleep', as Bou-san so eloquently put it. I felt sorry for Masako when I saw the state she was in – the fear she had to experience (especially as I could easily sympathize with her) and felt happy when could help her when she accepted my key._

 _But most of all, I felt determination. Determination to save her, to get to her before anything truly horrible happened. It was that very sympathy that made me pull ahead of everyone else, and charge in without them, without them protection._

 _But that was when the horror truly began. I came face to face with Urado._

 _Literally._

* * *

 **AN:**

Alright, cut. This chapter took forever to write. I think I hit a small writers block, as certain elements simply wouldn't fit together or wouldn't come ot the way I wanted them to or I simply didn't know how to progress. Well, whatever. I'm dead tired and though I'm not happy with this chapter, I will post it now and will get started with writing on the second part tomorrow. I hope you guys still enjoyed it. Well then, introduction of two new OC's for the next few chapters. I already gave a liiitle hint about one of their abilities, who caught it? And who can guess what's up with the knocking?

Also, I know I said that I wasn't going to post the chapter for the new story I was writing on, but I'm going to anyway. I will post it on the day I go on vacation (the 24th) or the day before, as something to tide you over (I don't know if I will be able to write or post) since I have already written it down. There is a chance that I'll use the vacation to edit a few chapters, since I noticed some holes, but if everything beyond grammar and typing mistakes is changed I'll give you a summary in the chapter I'll post afterwards.

Check out the poll on my profile and tell me what kind of story you want to read when this one is done and over with.

Good night, guys!

* * *

 _ **As always, I would like to thank everybody who reviewed, followed or favourited this story! Reviews feed my inspiration and motivation, guys - I'm always very thankful when you take your time to review!**_

 **melchormonica8:** Yeah, researching is a bitch. But well, it's not like I can just _not_ do it - I like to keep everything as close to the truth as I can. About the song - yeah, some will se it, but they won't have a clue from who it is of who wrote it. So yeah. Glad you enjoyed it ^^

 **Damaged Forest Spirit:** Aww, that is something I love to read! Thank you ^^ And I will ;))

 **Joys:** Can I just say that I absolutely love your reviews? If my updates make your day, your reviews make my week! And it's really nice how knowledgeable you are on these various topics - I didn't know that bit about the recurve! I totally plan to incorporate your personal experience in the story, if you don't mind?  
And yeah, I can safely tell you that Akari is definitely going to be on the team. If evrything goes as I planned, the team will be areally tight knit unit, closer than SPR, so Akari won't only have friends, but many brothers and sister he can confide in ^^ Yeah, the Akahanas... not saying anything about them for now. Just, Ken'ichi and the clan elder are both old, with both of them older than Gen-san, and the two kids... you'll see. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! ^^

 **chocoholic202:** Here it is ^^

 **Guest** : I plan to, I am not done with this story for a long while yet ^^

Until next time,  
One Autumn Leaf


	12. Intermission: Yasuhara Osamu (I)

**AN:**

Alright, obviously a Yasuhara-centric chapter. I simply had to do this now - it hit me and I couldn't get it out of my mind, and it fit _perfectly_ timing wise, so... Yeah. Anyway, I have this little head canon of Yasu and Mai being besties (going off from their behaviour on cases) and meeting up in their free time and stuff (though I know that isn't canonically correct). Also, I've heard that Mai calls Yasuhara 'Yasu' in the english dub. I've only ever watche jap dub with eng sub, so I don't know if that's true, but I found it cute and adapted it anyway. So, yeah.

 **Intermission, part one**

Yasuhara Osamu

It was a crisp March evening when Yasuhara Osamu finally stepped out of the plane that flew him from the US to Japan. Another hour later, and he had collected his luggage and was sitting in a taxi bound to his home. The first thing he did was calling his mother.

"Hey mom. My plane just landed, and I'm now sitting in a taxi on my way home. Did I wake you up?"

"Osamu! It's great to finally hear your voice again. The only thing I got from you when you were overseas were three emails! THREE! And no, you didn't wake me up – I decided to stay awake to greet you _properly_ when you finally arrive."

Yasuhara grimaced. A 'proper' greeting from his mother involved countless hugs almost on par with Bou-san's, a lecture about not checking in earlier and more often (it wouldn't have made a different even if he spend the whole day on the phone with her _every day_ while overseas), a feast with _a lot_ of traditional Japanese food (and may god have mercy with him if he didn't finish it, 'cause his mother sure as hell won't), and hours of 'catching up' (seriously, he was studying – there's nothing to catch up on), topped off with smothering before being allowed to get some sleep.

"Mom – I was studying. There wasn't a lot of time to do anything _but_ that."

It was the truth – although his English was top notch compared to the majority of his high school, he found out the hard way that it was painfully insufficient for living in the US, much less studying engineering there. His days were filled with studying English, studying his _actual_ mayor, completing his homework with a dictionary clutched in his hand, and still seeing daylight for at least an hour every day, on top of trying to stay up to date with the world and important news.

"That is no excuse, young man. I expected _at least_ an email per day during the five months you were gone. AT LEAST! I didn't even get one per month! What do you have to say to that?" Yasuhara sighed, and – knowing that a discussion would be fruitless – apologized.

"I am terribly sorry, mom. It was hard just keeping up with my studies –"

"*sigh* let's not discuss that over the phone. As long as you realize that you were in the wrong." Yasuhara rolled his eyes at this. _She makes it sound like I committed a crime or something._ "I will still hold a discussion with you after you get home, though." _Of course. She wouldn't let me off like this. At least I can influence it pretty easily at home._ "See you soon, darling."

"Bye mom!" _But I suppose she wouldn't be my mom if she were any different._ "I'll see you soon!"

 _Now then, onto the next – and probably most – important issue._

Mai.

 _She hasn't been answering my mails for a while now – wonder what she's up to. Maybe she got issues at the university? Or maybe she's still not over Naru… Well, whatever's the case, awesome Yasu comes to the rescue!_

The words already on the top of his tongue – _Hey there, boss, how's it going? What are the plans for the next few months? Rocking your university? Discovering new worlds on the PC? Making fun of crappy movies? Or would you rather… prank call a certain serious professor and his ever stoic assistant-slash-bodyguard? Or, maybe we could crash the film set of a certain medium and humiliate a certain overprotective monk and brash miko combo. But, I suppose, teasing a certain innocent little priest could be fun too. What is your pick? –_ and her answer already expected _– "*giggle*No, Yasu; I need to study, I'm sorry. But thank you for the offer and welcome back to Japan, I missed you." "Ah, is that so? In that case, I suppose I could help you in exchange for a date later." "*blush* Yasu!" "Sorry, sorry. So when should I come over?"_ or _"Hey, Yasu… I don't really feel like doing anything right now, I'm sorry." "Well, in that case, how about I get some ice cream and you tell me what's up?" "Thanks, sounds great! By the way, welcome back to Japan."_ – Yasuhara dialed the number he knew by heart, and listened as it rang.

And rang. And –

" _I'm sorry, the number you have dialed is not available right now. Please check if you have the right number. Alternatively, please contact the Inquiry Office. Thank you for your time." Beep. Beep. Beep. Be-._

Yasu hung up.

And tried again. Double checked the number. And tried again. Triple checked the number. Tried again. And finally, he gave it up.

 _Why isn't she answering? Has she seriously changed her number without telling me about it?_

Feeling a bit hurt, and even more worried, Yasuhara instructed the driver to drive him to Mai's address. His mother could wait. It was already fairly late – 11pm, to be exact – but he supposed Mai wouldn't mind, especially after not having seen him for five months.

* * *

When Yasuhara arrived at the small, but homey apartment where Mai lives, he took a moment to take it in. A few things had changed – for example, there was a motorcycle parked on the street, and subtle classical music could be heard – two new neighbors, he assumed – but apart from that, everything looked the same.

He asked the driver to wait for him, and walked up the stairs to ring on the door.

* * *

Momo was woken up by an annoying ringing, that he recognized as the doorbell. It had blocked out the classical music he had been playing, and thus succeeded in waking him. Grumbling he stood up.

"What the hell. It's now…" He glanced over at the alarm clock and squinted his eyes. "11.36 pm. 11.36?! Who the hell comes for a visit at that time? Don't they know when I have to get up? Insufferable, ignorant, egoistical ASSHOLES are who! Jesus fucking Christ, don't they know that some people need their sleep and have to get up early in the morning? Fucking assholes." God, he hoped that the one outside heard him.

Glancing around his rooms with hateful eyes, Momo tried to find his trousers. After a while of fruitless searching, he decided to screw it and pulled a bathrobe out of his closet.

Stomping over to the door, he literally _threw_ it open – he really couldn't stand being awoken early. Before he even had time to take in who stood in front of him beyond _some teenaged brat_ , he barked out a "What do you want?!"

* * *

When Yasuhara had heard the grumbling over the classical music, he had guessed that he had woken Mai up and that she was in a bad mode. He had taken the classical music as a sign that Mai _wasn't_ okay – she had only played that in the past when one of Naru's comments about her intelligence and knowledge had hurt her.

When he heard the heavy stomping, he started to factor in that she may be on her period, and added chocolate to his mental shopping list. It always calmed her down and soothed her on those days.

When the door was LITERALLY thrown open, he prepared for Mai on her period + insufferable Naru + school (or rather, university) issues, coupled with overbearing Bou-san and Ayako + catty Masako + a scolding from Lin-level of pissed off Mai, and tried to come up with ways of making her day just a _tiny_ bit better (because, honestly, _nothing_ short of honest praise and acknowledgement from Naru, Lin and Masako would make her happy right now), when his thought process shuddered to a stop when he was greeted by a bark of "What do you want?!", which was completely untypical of Mai.

Of course, that was when the rest of the information trickled in, and shut his brain down completely (he didn't know that was possible), before he forced it back online.

It was said by a definitely masculine voice. Deep, rough, obviously used to shouting. The tone was demanding, almost _ordering_ him to answer – definitely a voice used to shouting orders. The accompanying glare felt as if somebody was forcing glass shards into his guts – obviously a voice used to shouting orders and people actually obeying him. The highly trained body – evident by his ripped exterior – held so tensely, promised pain if he didn't have a good reason for being here.

The combo of all that was actually worse than Naru on a terrible day who was irritated by Mai and the annoying M's (Ayako/Matsuzaki-san and Masako/Hara-san). It was quite frightening, honestly.

Even as Yasuhara gulped and his animalistic instincts shouted 'flight! Run! Disappear! Hide! Go away! Life-threatening!', only one thought ran through his – newly rebooted – brain.

 _This isn't Mai._

* * *

"Well?!"

Momo was starting to lose his patience. First, this asshole-y teenager had the guts to wake him up, and now he _couldn't fucking answer?!_ What the hell is up with the teenagers these days? Back in his day –

"Ah, I apologize. My name is Yasuhara Osamu. I am looking for Taniyama Mai, an eighteen year old, female, young adult that's living here."

"Well, she obviously isn't here, brat. Did you have an _actual_ reason for waking me up?" Momo noticed interested how the younglings eyes narrowed a little. _Oh? Maybe he_ does _have a spine?_

"Ah, I apologize if I have offended you, Sir. However, Mai is a very important friend of mine, and I would hate to hear that something has happened to her." Momo almost laughed out loud at the youngster's attempt at intimidation, but he did respect his guts.

"Are you threatening me, _boy_?"

"Possibly." Yasuhara adjusted his glasses. Now Momo actually laughed out loud.

"Don't you know who I am, boy?"

"No."

"WHa-"

"And frankly, I don't care. Where is Mai?" _Hmm, he really does have guts. Oh well, telling him won't actually harm anything._

"Alright, listen up boy. I moved into this apartment 2 months ago. By then, it already stood empty for around a month from what the landlord told me. There was still a bit of furniture around – the futon, a kotatsu, the wardrobe, stuff like that – which I sold off. Sorry boy, but I can't help you. Hope you find your girl. Now, let me sleep."

"I see… Thank you for your help, sir. I hope you have a restful night. Goodbye."

* * *

When Yasuhara turned away , his mind was whirring with the meaning of what he just learned, possible situations Mai could be in right now, and steps he could take towards a solution.

 _First things first: I need to find Mai or find out what happened to her.  
Who could possibly know anything about this?_

 _Naru is out, there's no way she would have contacted him.  
Lin's out too, because the risk of him telling Naru would be too high for Mai.  
Masako is out as well, for obvious reasons.  
John left before me, but she might have called him for advice – unlikely, the cost would be too high.  
I was overseas, meaning I'm out too._

 _Now, is it Ayako or Bou-san?_

 _Let's see…_

 _Ayako, for the motherly touch? No, she'd be too overbearing for her. That leaves…_

 _Bou-san._

 _Of course. His big brother protectiveness while still giving her enough space would be optimal for her. Let's see if I can reach him – maybe Mai is even with him right now._

* * *

" _Moshi Moshi?"_

"Good morning, Takigawa. Did I just wake you up?"

" _No, you didn't. I'm in the middle of band practice right now, actually. Just taking a break at the moment. Shounen, since when do you call me Takigawa?"_

"Since Mai is missing. Do you know anything about that?"

" _Huh? Mai's missing?! No, sorry, this is the first time I hear about that. Sorry, I won't be much help right now. I'm still overseas on my world tour –"_

"Overseas?! Then who is staying with Mai?"

" _Yasuhara, Mai isn't a child. She doesn't need someone to stay with her and chaperone her. She needs space, especially after that whole Naru debacle. That's not gonna heal from everything but time. Life goes on, and doesn't wait for anybody. Not for you, me, or Mai, for that matter._

" _Maybe she simply decided that a change in scenery and persons associating with her was necessary to get over the shitload Naru-bou left?"_

"Without telling any of us about it? Takigawa, you know Mai, she's –"

" _An adult who likes her freedom, is headstrong, and stands by her decisions. Maybe a little too brash and naïve at times, but that will even out with time. Yasuhara, don't make the mistake of thinking about Mai as dumb. She isn't half bad in the academic department, and is unparalleled when it comes to dealing with humans. She has her dreams to warn her of supernatural danger –"_

"Wait, didn't they deactivate after Naru left?"

" _Yasuhara, psychic abilities don't just deactivate. They've probably gone back into a slumbering mode, because Mai doesn't need them right now. Without cases, there's no lethal spiritual activity, thus making them unnecessary. That's why it seemed like they came and went with Naru._

" _Anyway, as I was saying - she has her dreams to warn her of supernatural danger, and knows that she can always call us should danger occur. For anything human related, her instincts cover for her just fine. She's an orphan, yet never folded under the pressure – she's really strong emotionally . And you know as well as I do that wherever she goes she'll leave friends. If worse comes to worst, they'll be sure to help her. Don't worry so much about her – she probably just took the opportunity to distance herself from everything while we were overseas._

" _As hard as it is to face, right now we can't do anything for her. We are just painful remainders of what-could-have-been-if's. The best thing we can do now is give her the time and space she requires to deal with everything. Give her a couple of months, maybe three or four, and she'll be back. Don't worry. As I said before, life doesn't wait for anyone. Mai is just determined to make the best out of the situation, as she has always been. You should too._

" _I need to go now – my manager's getting pissy about me overextending my break. I'll be back in Japan in another six to seven months. See ya."_

Beep. Beep. Be-.

 _That monk. When did he get so wise? But more importantly, something just feels off about this situation… This isn't something Mai would have done willingly or without a reason._

 _Ups, careful now – I'm starting to sound like Mai._

 _Anyway, what can I still do?_

Creating a list in his mind, Yasuhara stepped into the taxi and instructed the driver to drive him to his home address. TO a very irritated mother.

 _Yay… Can't imagine anything better. Not._

* * *

By the time Yasu stepped out of the car, he had a plan in his mind.

 _Call Ayako._

 _Call John._

 _Call Masako._

 _Call the inquiry office._

 _Wait a few months._

 _Research._

 _Cover her friends._

 _Cover her normal hauntings._

 _Get his fingers on as much information about Mai as possible._

And, number 10, the last ditch effort:

 _Call Lin_

Oh boy – sounds like a fun few months in the life of Yasuhara Osamu.

But first, he had to face his mother.

* * *

 **AN:**

And that's a wrap! Did I ever mention that I feel really fulfilled after finishing a chapter?

Word count: 2610 words.

*1: alright, so Mai obviously doesn't have a phone and therefore a number anymore. I wanted to do that message that comes when you use an invalid number, but I didn't know how it sounds in english, and no matter what I typed in into the google bar, nothing came up. So I did a (liberal) approximation of the german one. **I'd be grateful if anyone could send me the proper one.**

Rant:  
Soo, I'm now back from my vacation. It was wonderful, really – just a few _minor_ issues. But I learned a lot, really ^^

1\. NO WIFI  
2\. Sand and Laptop doesn't mesh well.  
3\. Neither does sea water.  
4\. Nor pool water.  
5\. Unless you have a proper surface, like a desk, using a laptop can be extremely uncomfortable – especially in a crowded car.  
6\. My laptop battery only lasts 2 hours.  
7\. Writing on the phone _sucks.  
_ 8\. Especially in a foreign language.

But, despite everything, it was fun!

Rant over.

Anyway I'm eighteen now! YAY!

And, I obviously didn't do anything on the vacation: No writing, no editing, nada, niente. But I DID work on my characters – got myself an app and discovered tons of stuff I never thought about. So, anyway. There you have it – I now have perfectly fleshed out characters. Yay. And, I FIXED THE TIMELINE! That was fun – not. I had to reread _everything_ I had written to make sure I didn't contradict myself somewhere. Being a writer _sucks._

Anyway, about this chapter – I actually like the way I left it. If you want to, I can do a second chapter on Yasu at a later date, or simply leave it like that – I think it' s pretty obvious how everything's going to go.

Tell me if you liked this 'format' and want it for the rest of SPR too, or if I should change something.

* * *

 **Also – I've been debating with myself about something.**

This story obviously has a lot of OC's and timeline events that happened before the story and more still that will come afterwards. I've been wondering if you guys would want sth like a character sheet and complete timeline.

Obviously, that would contain things not said in the story yet – like for example, _descriptions._ I myself hate reading them, and I absolutely detest writing them. I would be sort of an information dump – infos about ISA and JSA you don't have yet, characters you don't even know yet, certain timeline events like when they get to meet SPR (finally, I _really_ want to reach that point) that would obviously be spoilery. There'll also be a classing system for demons and stuff, but I'm still working on that (read: nothing but a vague idea).

Though I suppose I could do separate chapters – like 'Chapter 1, these are the characters you know, ch2 the timeline, ch3 places & outfits, ch4 whatever else, and ch5-8 is spoilery stuff or sth. Tell me if you want it or need it? Maybe I'm just overly concerned... I'll decide depending on your opinions.

* * *

Moving on!

I'm already halfway (or maybe a quarter) through the next chapter, so it is entirely possible that you'll get it tomorrow or the day after already if I feel like it.

* * *

 _ **As always, I would like to thank everybody who reviewed, followed or favourited this story! Reviews feed my inspiration and motivation, guys - I'm always very thankful when you take your time to review!**_

 **RichkeyZero:** You're welcome!

 **Nagisa Maeda:** Glad they make you happy ^^ Me too, me too... I can't wait to get to that point. I'm just afraid of rushing stuff that shouldn't be rushed... being a writer is way harder than I thought when I first started. Thanks ^^ though you probably wouldn't believe me if I'd tell you how many japanese naming sites I frequented for them... ugh. Google probably thinks I'm pregnant or sth. Thanks! It was awesome ^^

 **melchormonica8** : Yeah she will, at some point. I won't say anything about how it's going to work out, though ^^ Nope, not exactly *sing-song voice*

 **Guest:** I intent to! And it's always great to hear that someone's enjoying my story so much ^^

 **NinjaPenguinLover** : Thanks!

 **Joys** : Thanks! Yeah, I promise the next character will be an... interesting fellow ^^

 **Damaged Forest Spirit:** Yeah, same. I think my sense of orientation is actually worse than Mai's. One: It's a TWIN! ^^ Two: not saying ~ That would be too big a spoiler either way ^^ Your praise always makes me happy ^^

 **larajla** : It's always awesome to hear something like that. Yes, I prefer Mai strong and (at least) competent too. Thank you for reading this story, and you're welcome!

 **bewitchedquill** : Thanks! Yeah, fast update just wasn't supposed to be. Sorry...

 **YurikaRose24** : Sorry, wasn't possible. *deep bow* But I'm glad that you enjoyed it!

 **Downyblue:** Thanks so much! Hearing something like that makes me SOOO happy ^^ Yeah, I understand that - in the ghost hunt fandom especially, where you are dealing with case fics, incomplete works can be nerve grating when they aren't continued. But I'm glad that you gave my story a chance and were sucked in ^^ Haha, you are actually in the same situation as me. I have SO MUCH planned for both teams - and yet I highly enjoy creating Mai's team and Mai's powers. THis intermission chapter is my way of bringing the other already into the story without Mai actually interacting with them - that's gonna take _quite a while_ yet. Yes, it was awesome - and you are actually the only person for this chapter I can answer to with a "Hope this was fast enough ^^" Enjoy!

Until next time,  
One Autumn Leaf

 _P.S.: How come I always finish this stuff at 2 something am in the morning? I started extra early today! (ehh, yesterday)_


	13. Meeting Kitamura Hiroku

**Meeting Hiroku**

Mai sighed and closed her notebook. She had just completed the entry about the Urado case, and it wasn't funny business. She suspected that the only reason she wasn't freaking out and having another panic attack was due to the oddly harmonious energy surrounding this place.

Now, however, she felt a strange combination of emotions: relief, because she had finally written down everything and started dealing with her emotions about it; stress, due to re-experiencing the whole case; sadness, thanks to the memories of SPR; anger, caused by the former; longing, for the adrenaline and tension only experienced on cases; and lastly, happiness for finally closing that chapter of her life.

No, it's not like she had finished dealing with her memories of SPR, the terror she encountered on cases, and _that_ case in particular, but she knew that she had just done a large step towards finally overcoming it all.

Slowly she stood up and stretched, before walking over to the lake.

 _It's seriously beautiful. I wonder if it came into existence naturally or if it was created artificially?_

The wind played with her hair and lifted her skirt up a bit. Smoothing it down Mai lowered herself on one of the stones at the shore, and dipped one of her toes in the water.

To her surprise, the water had the perfect temperature: cool enough to be refreshing, yet warm enough that it was comfortable. When she looked carefully, she saw that the ground of the lake shimmered in an almost unnoticeable red, visible only due to the extreme clearness of the lake.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" A soft voice spoke into her ear. A small sound of surprise escaped Mai's throat as she whirled around, falling into one of the defensive kata's Gen-san had taught her instinctually, poising herself to strike. The stranger just laughed and raised his hands in a calming manner.

"Woah, calm down tiger. Where's the fire?" _He's still laughing._

"There's no fire. You just surprised me. Seriously, didn't anyone teach you not to sneak up behind people? It's not a nice thing to do." Mai focused on her body, and consciously relaxed each muscle before falling into a relaxed stance as she sighed.

Suddenly, however, a silky voice purred into her ear.

"Does it bother you? Normally females _love_ when I do it though… And especially what I do after –"

He never got to finish his sentence, because Mai had – quickly and _hard_ – punched him into the gut so that he fell backwards.

"What the hell?!" yelped the man.

"What the hell? That's my line! What do you think you were _doing_?! That's sexual harassment!" Mai's breathing was still labored from the amount of power it took to throw him away. Then, laughter once again echoed over the lake.

"What's so funny?!"

"Haha, sorry. You reacted exactly like Mia did, with the difference that her punch went to my nuts." This, however, only served to fuel Mai's fire.

"What the heck! You did that to Mia too? I'm going to castrate you, you lowly –"

"Whoa, slow down!" Suddenly, the stranger lowered himself into a deep bow. "I didn't mean to offend you, Mai-sama. I had simply heard about Mia's sister, and wanted to have a look at the person. I apologize if my behavior was in any way offensive to you. Please forgive me."

Mai shifted uncomfortably. She wasn't used to someone bowing to her so deeply. She had never heard an apology going beyond 'I'm sorry'. And all this 'Mai-sama' business threw her really off kilter, and she didn't like it.

"It' fine. You didn't do anything bad, anyway, just don't–don't do it again, alright? Also, none of this '-sama' business – I am just a normal person and expect to be treated that way, okay?"

"I understand. Well then, I think introductions are required now, aren't they? My name is Kitamura Hiroku, just Hiroku is fine. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise. My name is Mai, Akahana Mai."

"I know." Hiroku was smiling kindly at her.

"Eh? How?" Now, Hiroku was laughing. _Again,_ as Mai noticed sourly.

"Who _doesn't_ know about Akahana Mai in this compound?" He pulled his mobile phoneout of his pocket, and read out loud.

'Akahana Mai: the long lost family member, that found her way back to the family by sheer luck. Possessing an uncommonly high amount of spiritual energy, no training, and zero tolerance, it is a miracle that she hasn't killed herself and others during the eighteen years she has been on this planet. Likewise, it is a mystery how she survived being targeted by every supernatural creature she came into contact with.  
A talented girl, who is completing the tasks given to her by Koizumi Genryuusai, the slave driver, and Hirota Akari, the menace, with flying colors, and who is starting to earn the approval of the spirits at a frightening pace. May we be witnessing the rise of our first leading Slayer since ten years?  
Listen to her songs _"I'll see you again"_ and _"Supermarket flowers"_ under the name 'Mai Rose' on YouTube, to appreciate her talented voice. If you want to know more facts about our recent new addition, stay tuned for the next few issues of _'The Rosy Messenger'_.

"Wh-What the hell is this?!"

"Hm? Just like it sounds, it's an article in our local tabloid. Anyway, there's nobody who _hasn't_ heard of you in this entire compound, trust me."

"'Anyway' nothing! How the hell do they know this stuff? And, what the hell is 'Mai Rose'? Is that the name under which that idiotic relative of mine posted my songs? ' _Mai Rose'_?! Couldn't she come up with anything, _anything_ else?" Hiroku looked at her blankly.

"What?!"

"Mai. You are in a compound full of spiritualist and psychics. How do you _think_ they got that information? Naturally, they used clairvoyance, astral projection, remote viewing, familiars, onmyoudo, tarot, stuff like that."

"Oh…"

"Plus, is it really such a bad thing? This article is doing nothing if not writing a glowing report of you. And the Mai Rose thing… Yeah, it's not optimal, but at least it has three different meanings, no?"

Mai sighed. He was right, it wasn't that bad, but still… As she lowered her gaze to the ground, she suddenly saw something that didn't belong there.

"Is that… A bunny? What is that doing here?"

There, situated between Hiroku's legs, sat a black bunny with white stripes going down from the back to the feet. It reminded her of a zebra with interchanged colors. The head, however, was even more bizarre: it was completely black, with what looked to be a white pentagram in center of its forehead, surrounded by a circle, and a muster that oddly reminded her of one of the tribal marks that she once saw in a history book situated on its left cheek.

All in all, it was a truly weird sight.

"Oh, this? This is Masayuki, my spiritual partner. The name means 'Right Happiness'." Mai looked at him blankly. _What the hell is a spiritual partner?_ Hiroku seemed to understand what she was thinking, and quickly answered her question.

"A spiritual partner is usually the spirit of a creature that you meet in the void between worlds and form a contract with. They are further differentiated in other categories. Familiars, elementals, literal summoning contracts, guardians… There are countless of them. Shiki are a mix between familiars and summons: they act as familiars, but a contract – often subsequent of a fight – is required to form a bond with them.

"In my case, it is a little different. Masayuki is a guiding animal. I am sure that you have heard about the animism belief of Native Americans, correct?"

"Ehh… Not exactly…?"

"Alright, in that case let me explain. Animism is the religious belief that objects, places and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. Potentially, animism perceives all things—animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems, human handiwork and perhaps even words—as animated and alive. Animism is actually the world's oldest religion, and as such extremely relevant and should be taken seriously.

"In order to understand the importance of animism for this situation, you need to know that my family, the Kitamura, is a clan of shamans. Specifically, one that originates from America.

"Now, in Native America there isn't just _one_ believe system, and there isn't just one religion. Somewhere along the way, my family formed a contract with the guardian spirit of the lands we were living in. As a result, each member of the Kitamura clan that is destined to be a shaman is born with a spiritual partner, a guiding animal, of the Hare family.

"Their job is to accompany us in the real world, and to guide us in the spiritual world. After all, a shaman's work isn't easy, and getting lost in the void between worlds wasn't an uncommon occurrence back in the day. Our partners prevent that from happening.

"Or, at least that is what the lore says. Incidentally, the tribal tattoo you can see under the eye is our clan symbol. The middle of the symbol is the mark of the goddess, and the outer lines are the main part of the original tribal mark of our clan. They are interconnected by the characters for communication: the symbol of our occupation as shamans. The symbol on the forehead changes from spirit to spirit: it shows the power granted to you by the goddess.

"In my case, the pentagram is a symbol that is used in demonology as a way to repel demons and evil spirits. The power that I inherited is the power to create barriers – the ultimate protection against everything evil."

 _Wow… That's amazing. I didn't expect it to have such an amazing backstory!_

"Heh, I'm amazing, aren't I?" Mai smiled.

"Yeah, you sure are. Or, at least, your ancestry is." Poking her tongue out at him, she threw him a wink and turned towards Masayuki. Lowering herself in order to be closer to Masayuki's height, she spoke.

"Hey Masayuki. My name is Akahana Mai, nice to meet you!" As a response, Masayuki hopped over and allowed Mai to pet her. "Kawaii!"

"By the way, Hiroku, do these zebra marks have a meaning too?"

"Actually, they do. I have a twin brother, Hikaru. I suppose you could say that we are yin and yang: we are two halves of a whole. Naturally, our spiritual partners represent that as well." He was sitting next to her now, petting Masayuki as well.

"Heh. Then, does he have the same ability you have, or can he do something else?"

"That's a secret.. Why don't you ask Hikaru about that?"

"Meanie. Why won't you tell me?" Now, Mai was actually pouting. Thinking fast, she pointed her lethal puppy eyes at him. Sighing and hanging his head in defeat, Hiroku gave in.

"He was granted the ability to bind someone or something. By combining the energy surrounding us into strings, he makes unbreakable bonds that he can hold as long as he can concentrate – given that the opponent isn't stronger than he is. It is represented by the circle surrounding the pentagram. Combined with my barrier skills, the two of us make the perfect support duo."

"Amazing. But, when it is also shown on Masayuki's forehead…"

"You catch on quick. Yeah, we both share our abilities, just like we share everything else."

"Impressive." Mai looked at him with wide eyes.

"Impressive, yeah. But not actually uncommon. At least not in my clan. There are two ways abilities can be shared, and one reason why it happens. The first way is being twins, or triplets, or something like that, like my brother and I are. The second way is finding your true love. Can you guess what the reason is?" Mai was silent for several minutes while she thought about it.

"Hmm… Is it due to finding the 'one that makes you whole'? Like a soulmate or something?"

"Exactly. When our spirits are complete, our abilities will be shared, like we share our lives. That's why it isn't rare to find something like that in my clan. Every third generation twins who are destined to be shamans are born, and 57% of the people in my clan have found their soulmate."

 _Sounds like a happy life…_

"It is."

 _Oops, did I say that out loud? How stupid… Stupid Mai, pay attention to your surroundings!_

Still snuggling with Masayuki in her arms, Mai sighed out happily.

"I wish I had a spiritual partner too," Mai mumbled in the fur of Masayuki.

"Hmm, you probably will," Hiroku commented offhandedly.

"Eh? I thought spiritual partners are exclusive to the Kitamura family?"

"They are."

"But then –"

"Mai, don't you pay attention to Genryuusai-sama's teachings in education? You can't just space out there, you know."

"I do pay attention! And I never space out during them!" Hiroku was looking at her disbelievingly.

"Then you should know about this already. Then you should know about this already. Information about the families is the most basic kind of information, and one of the first things you learn."

"That may be so, but all that Gen-san and I have been doing s learning English!"

"Really?" Still disbelieving her, Hiroku asked for clarification.

"Yeah!" He took in her stance: body rigid, hands at her hips, leaning lightly towards him with her upper body, and a cute pout apparent on her face. The indignation was easily readable in her eyes, even without using his ability.

"Alright alright, I believe you. Seriously though, you must suck at English."

"I do not!"

"Yeah, whatever." He waved her indignant shout away.

"Anyway, I don't have the time to go over everything right now, because dinner will be ready soon, but I can give you some basic information."

 _Ugh, dinner… Mia will probably try to coerce me into eating with the Akahana's. Well, I should probably do it, but –_

Cutting into her thoughts, Hiroku began his explanation.

"Alright, listen up. This is very important information, and I'm only going to say this once." Seeing her nod, Hiroku continued.

"There are five families who live in the Akahana compound in addition to the Akahana's themselves. These families are the Koizumi, the Hirota, the Kitamura, the Muraoka, and the Tsukamoto clan. Each of them have a special occupation, and specific skills that aid them in their job. I could really go in detail with this, but I'm going to keep it extremely simple so that you won't forget anything.

"The Koizumi are Onmyouji and the advisors of the Akahana clan. By their side, serving and protecting them, are their _shiki_. They find information for their master and protect him from supernatural influences. They have high offensive powers.

"The Hirota are Evokers and magicians. They are assisted by _elementals_ , which aid them in their studies and keep their spells stable, so that they don't go blowing up in the magicians' face if his concentration wavers.

"The Kitamura are Shamans, whose _spiritual partners_ keep them safe when they are crossing over and wandering the paths of the void, also depend on them to ensure that they find their way back to their bodies and don't accidentally die while using their powers.

"The Muraoka are powerful ESP users, often mediums, who use _spiritual guides_ to allow them to talk to a spirit more easily, connect to them, and find case-related information – for example if they are post-cognitive in their dreams – accurately and safely.

"The Tsukamoto are Wiccans – white witches – who spend their life accompanied by a _familiar_. The job of their familiar is to make sure that they don't stray from the path of white magic, and to protect them while they are defenseless when they are waving a spell.

"The Akahana, on the other hand, display a large amount of psychic powers, spiritual energy, and chosen professions. Most of them end up being Slayers, usually with a skill set of weapon creation and Enochian, coupled with psychic abilities. They have two possible companions, from which they choose one: _shiki_ , caught and trained by the Koizumi clan, and _familiars_ , whom they impressed enough to form a bond with.

"In your case, you will probably have to choose a familiar and won't be allowed to choose Shiki."

Mai blinked. Once, twice. Then, she blurted out a "Why?" before she could stop herself.

"It's simple, really – you have a large amalgamation of ESP oriented abilities. You will need a companion to guide and protect you, lest you fall into the void. Additionally, your control sucks – meaning you will need someone who is on top of your abilities and can interfere should you lose control. Also, from what I heard your abilities up to now where very sleep dependent. The possibility of you losing control over them while caught in a bad memory is a huge possibility – as is you being unable to wake up when caught in a horrifying memory, for example when reliving somebody's death.

"A familiar is simply more suited to dealing with that than a shiki is. My guess is that they will try to find your partner during the next two years, once you finished your control training."

"Ah, is that so…?" Mai's mind was whirring, trying to remember, understand, and file away all the information Hiroku just dumped in her without a warning.

 _I wish I had my notebook handy… Wait, I do!_

Scrambling to get her notebook out and to document the knowledge she just gained, when Hiroku's hands suddenly rested on her shoulders from behind and pushed her back towards the mansion.

"Come on, dinner's getting cold!"

Without being given a chance to collect her thoughts and write them down, Mai was incessantly pushed back towards home – with her scrambling not to trip.

"Hey Hiroku, slow it down a bit!"

Finally being able to walk next to him _comfortably_ , _without_ being pushed, Mai made the decision that she needed more information.

 _Guess I'll be attending that 'family dinner' Mia was bugging me about… Yay._

* * *

 **AN** :

So, that's it for this chapter.

Word count: 3021

I took some liberal freedom with one of the religions of Native Americans… I highly doubt that they form contracts with them, but I needed it for my story, so, yeah. Everything else should be accurate though, and I apologize should there be any mistakes. Credits to Wikipedia for the 'animism' part, that was mainly copy and paste.

Since the vast majority was against the info dump and brought great arguments supporting their reason, I won't do it.

Hmm, it somehow feels like I didn't get Mai's character completely right during this chapter… eh, whatever.  
Hope you like Hiroku. I won't lie, a part of his (and his twin's) personality was largely influenced by the twins from Ouran Host Club, but I hope that wasn't too noticeable. I was simply binge watching it (for the nth-time) when creating the characters, so… yeah.  
Tell me if something wasn't clear enough, I dumped a lot of information in this chapter.

(Also, it's 4.44 am on the dot right now. I don't care if there are any typing mistakes, I feel like I am falling asleep on my laptop right now.)

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 _ **As always, I would like to thank everybody who reviewed, followed or favourited this story! Reviews feed my inspiration and motivation, guys - I'm always very thankful when you take your time to review!**_

 **Nagisa Maeda:** Happy that you liked it! Yeah, like I said, that thought simply popped in my head and fit so _perfectly_ timing wise and atmosphere wise, that I had to do it. Plus, I've been itching to write something about SPR for a while now, so that was kind of a compromise for me.

 **melchormonica8** : Haha, great to make you happy! Yeah, Yasu's really busy. And yes, I intend to do that for each member, but it's gotts fit timing wise... I have a lot of things I still want to do. Thanks!

 **Damaged Forest Spirit:** One: I did! Two: I'm glad that you loved it. Honestly, I was trying to paint the picture that none of the gang ever abandoned Mai willingly. Life moves on, and they did too. The only thing that they didn't do is factor Mai into their life and their decisions - which is perfectly acceptable for friends, but A BIG NONO for a 'family'. Also, Bou-san really worried about her, but wanted to allow her to mature and stuff - he didn't do it just like that. Three: Here it is! The next chapter. ENjoy!

 **RichkeyZero:** Your welcome! Hihi, for anything more Yasu-related you will have to wait a few more months (story-wise), but I hope you liked this chapter too! (I was determined to update this today extra for you ^^)

 **Joys** : Glad to hear that! Yeah, that would probably be a good idea, and I really enjoyed writing it that way. Yeah, I need to get around to editing everything soon anyway... It somehow always gets pushed aside. Thanks for pointing it out!

 **LittleBunnyFufu13:** Aww, you don't know how happy it makes me to hear something like that ^^ And hearing someone talk so highly about my english, especially as it isn't my native language, makes me feel really fuzzy inside ^^ Was this soon enough for you? Yeah, she will have to do that soon - even if she is reluctant tight now. Thanks! I plan to. Also, I took the liberty of checking out your profile. I don't know a thing about mental illnesses - especially suicidal thoughts - but if you ever need someone to talk to, please feel free to PM me! Always Keep Fighting!

-279: Yeah, you are right. I'll do it that way, and I guess you'll get character descriptions when SPR meets the gang - will take a while though. Yeah, Bou-san and Yau are naturally worried about her (well, Bou-san not so much, but he at least put real thought into it). I totally agree with you there. However, Bou-san's position of 'life moves on', isn't wrong either. The problem is that none of the gang factored in Mai into their life and their plans. While that is acceptable for friends (seriously, if I had to go abroad for one reason or another, my friends and I wouldn't have a problem of simply catching up once I return. Until then, we'd just carry on with our lives), that isn't okay for family members. Also, what they failed to realize was how much Mai came to depend on them - and woth Naru and Lin already gone, the rest of the gang leaving was just too hard a blow for poor Mai. As you said, she's only human and there is only so much she can take. SPR had effectively become her family, just to be ripped away again. She found out that she has relatives through a life-threatening situation, and hasn't interacted much with them up to now (for certain reasons). So yeah, Bou-san is partially right, but there are also flaws in his way of thinking. Glad you enjoy the story.

Haoden: That's good to hear. Glad you liked it! ^^ Here's the next one.

Until next time,  
One Autumn Leaf


	14. Not a chapter, sorry!

**Not a chapter, sorry!**

Alright everybody, I have to apologize for this involuntary hiatus. Those who check on my profile already know this, but my laptop crashed. I don't know exactly what happened, but one moment it worked, and the next it didn't.

The technicians said that there is no data that could be saved from the hard drive, which sucks.

The teachers in school always used to say to double save everything – on an external hard drive, on a USB stick, whatever. Guess who didn't listen? Yes, me.

Anyway, I got a new laptop, which took a while to arrive, and then I had to buy a new Word license before I could continue writing.

Well, turns around that it really _sucks_ having to rewrite something you already typed before – and I lost my motivation to continue rewriting chapter 14 – which, by the way, was already almost completed – and I started writing on the second chapter for Healing.

That chapter is almost done, and I will continue on with Chapter 14 afterwards – it should probably take about three to four days with my current level of motivation for chapter 14 to be out.

I hope Healing can tide you over until then – I apologize for this heavy delay.

Also, school and everything has restarted two weeks ago here in Germany. In other words, my hobbies did too. I didn't get admitted into university this semester, but I decided to make a linguistic course instead, and I'm doing an internship in a law firm on top of getting my driving license and pursuing my hobbies (violin, singing, tennis, basketball) during the week.

In other words, the updating tempo will go down – maybe as far as only one chapter per two weeks, maybe it will remain the same… who knows. Anyway, sorry for the inconvenience, and thank you to everybody who is still sticking with me.

 **Until next time,**

 **One Autumn Leaf**

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 **Update 11.10.2018  
**

Didn't quite turn out as I expected. The workload I have right now is immense, and time for writing is sparse. The involuntary side-effect of that is, that I constantly forget important facts about _my own story_. I have to constantly go back to earlier chapters and consult what I wrote there and _how_ I wrote it, in particular the characters (which is highly time extensive and just _sucks_.

So, bear with me, I'll update... Eventually. Hopefully soon.

Sorry for this long hiatus.


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